Learning to be Human
by shamrock1787
Summary: Alice thinks she's found a cat while hunting, but it's actually a girl.  A completely feral girl with no knowledge of language or human etiquette.  What's Alice do?  Takes her home of course!  A/B, Mostly T, with some sexual situations later on.  Enjoy!
1. Prologue

**A/N The idea of someone growing up completely isolated, no external influences, has always fascinated me. So I've taken that idea, added a little supernatural and a dash of Alice/Bella, and here it is.  
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**Prologue**

The predator watched its prey grazing in the field. The kill would be simple, but barely satisfying. She craved more than this herbivore's blood. She wanted… …_that_.

Snapping her head sideways, the small vampire took in a distinctly feline smell, possibly mountain lion. She was lucky, as the large cats rarely ventured into these woods anymore. They were much smarter than deer, you see.

Taking off towards the new meatier scent, the tiny vampire danced through the brush, hardly ruffling the overgrown forest. She was nearly there when the suddenly the smell shifted. The feline scent was still lingering, but it was now overwhelmed by an even thicker, more luscious human blood. The black haired vampire stopped short, breathing in deeply, confused. Where had her cat gone? And just as importantly, why was there a human this deep in the woods. There weren't houses around for at least ten miles in any direction.

Creeping forward silently, the predator could hear light footsteps moving across the ground. She crouched behind a bush, carefully peering through the branches into a clearing on the other side. She gasped quietly at the sight before her. She must have found Eden because the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, was moving about the bushes, happily picking berries and popping them in her mouth, oblivious to her audience. Her long brown hair was naturally wavy, but still reached down passed a shapely rear. She had only seen a profile of her face, but it was enough to know her features were very feminine. A rosy blush made her appear innocent, which appealed to the vampire's dominant nature. But what stood out the most was her vibrant green eyes. Well at least that's what stood out about her face. The fact that, like Eve, this girl was completely naked, was quite difficult to overlook, especially with her body being so perfectly figured. Her hips were slender, but still womanly, and her chest, from the occasional side glance was a pleasant size, the predator thought. Yes, she would happily take those mile long legs wrapped around her petite body, as well.

The low purr emitting from the tiny vampire caught the attention of the naked woman's sensitive ears, and suddenly she was crouched, staring at the spot from which the sound came. The predator had now become the prey, as a loud roar rang through the clearing and where the girl had once stood, now a large lion appeared. Well, it looked like a lion, but had milky white fur that appeared to be downy soft, to the vampire's highly developed eyesight.

Now discovered, the vampire stood, taking a step back and holding up her hands in a peace offering. She didn't want to fight this beautiful creature…err, girl. I guess that explains the scent change, the vampire thought to herself.

"Hello. My name is Alice. I won't hurt you." The small vampire spoke quietly, hoping to soothe the large cat. Thankfully, she didn't see anger or aggression in the beast's stance or eyes. It was purely defensive, watching her with both fear and curiosity. In fact, she looked almost like a puppy, with her large head tilted to the side, as if trying to understand the strange being in front of her.

Alice wasn't sure what to make of this cat slash girl, for her part, either. What exactly was she? And where did she come from? She didn't have long to think before she was torn abruptly from her thoughts by a large nose pressed against her crotch. With a squeak of surprise, she jumped backwards, alarming the cat and causing it to go back into its defensive crouch.

"Whoa! Hey there. Personal space, much?" Alice said, glaring at her violator. It was this action, however, that alerted the vampire to the fact that this probably wasn't simply a girl who turns into a cat, because a normal girl, who happened to be a shapeshifter, would retain enough of her human mind not to go sniffing people's privates. That was pure animal. With this in mind, Alice decided a different approach might be necessary.

Taking a seat on the ground, so her face was now about level with the lion's, she held out a hand, patiently. The cat seemed to consider her for a while before slowly padding back towards the small vampire and sniffing gingerly at her hand. When those introductions were complete, Alice attempted to reach her human side again, and gestured to herself, saying, "Alice," before pointing to the lion and raising an eyebrow in a silent request.

She had hoped the girl might take this invitation to return to her human form and say hello, but that wasn't to be. Instead, she looked confused again and gave a little growl that came out more like a whimper.

"Fine." Alice huffed, crossing her arms, while the cat sat down on the ground not three feet from her, observing interestedly. "If you don't want to tell me your name, I'll think of one myself." She let her gaze track over the muscular feline body. It was covered in the gorgeous, fine white fur, that seemed to dance as the wind blew through it. Each strand moved individually, but in the same way, like a choreographed routine that was mesmerizing to watch. Alice thought back to when she was covertly viewing the beautiful girl this cat could become. The supple curves, long lush hair, and breathtaking green eyes were burned into her memory, and only one name seemed to fit. Bella. It meant beautiful in Alice's preferred foreign language, Italian, and couldn't be more perfect to describe both aspects of the being before her.

"Alright, from now until you decide to give me your name, I'm going to call you Bella." The cat continued to watch her silently and she sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"Will you please change back?" She practically begged. Again, no reaction, except for another tilting of the head. Alice stood, frustrated. "Change back." She said again, slowly, as though it might help the cat understand her. Instead of the reaction she'd hoped for, the lion also stood, padding forward to briefly rub its soft furry head against her hand before it turned back to the brush. With one final look over its shoulder, the large cat sauntered into the darkness of the woods, its body swaying gracefully back and forth in the typical feline fashion.

Alice was left awestruck, standing and staring at the spot where her new acquaintance had disappeared.


	2. Bringing Home Strays

**A/N I didn't want to break this chapter up, which is why it's so long. Chapter two is mostly written already as well. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

APOV

Two hours later…

"Where have you been, Alice? We were starting to worry." Esme, my mother, questioned as soon as I appeared at the back door.

"Sorry, Esme, I got distracted."

"With what?" My brother, Emmett's voice boomed from the living room. Not answering, I walked straight passed where Emmett and my other siblings sat distractedly. Barely acknowledging them at all, I headed up the stairs to my room, where I promptly collapsed on my bed, staring up at the vaulted ceiling.

I'd only been with the girl… no Bella, for a few minutes, but it was enough time to become completely infatuated. Bella was beautiful without a doubt, but what really captured my interest was the mystery surrounding her. Why didn't she turn back into a human? Perhaps she didn't trust me enough to be in that form, but then why did she nuzzle my hand before she left? My questions were endless, but I didn't have any answers, and what bothered me most was that I might never get any.

"No!" That's unacceptable. I have to find Bella again! Just as I was about to jump up and dart towards the window exit route, a soft knock came on my door.

"What?" I growled, impatient to find my new obsession. My body was already poised to pull itself out into the cool night air.

Edward peeked his head around the heavy oak door and gave me a small smile. I immediately felt bad for the rude greeting. Edward was my baby brother. He was turned quite young due to sickness. He was only fourteen physically and emotionally, which should have made him a pest to have around, but thankfully he was a very quiet and introverted kid. That's not to say he didn't have his immature moments, but the combination of his natural character and his having nearly a hundred extra years of experience as a teenager, made him tolerable. In fact he was probably more mature than Emmett most of the time.

"Hey Alice…" He looked down at his shoes, obviously not sure how to ask me something, but I didn't have the patience for this at the moment.

"What is it, Edward?" He looked up at me, and I could see the guilt on his face. That was enough to tell me why he was here. "You were listening to my thoughts?" That nosy little bugger. Edward and I both had talents. I could see partial futures and he could read minds. After several decades of work, Carlisle had taught Edward to shut off his power. He wasn't _supposed_ to use it on any of us without our permission, but again…he was a fourteen year old boy. I knew for a fact that he sometimes listened in when Emmett and Rosalie were going at it, the little pervert. Of course I couldn't really blame him. It would be awfully hard to resist the temptation to know everyone's secrets, but that didn't make me any less furious that he'd invaded _my_ thoughts. That meant he probably saw Bella in her human form, naked. I bristled at the thought. I didn't want other people seeing my Bella that way.

"I know I'm not supposed to look, but you seemed so out of it when you got back and everyone was worrying…"

"That's no excuse to invade my privacy!" I growled, glaring at him.

"Please, Alice, I just want to know what that was? It looked like an albino lion or something." He said, his brow furrowing in thought. "But not a cougar, and those are the only big cats around here." He continued, and I relaxed slightly. He must not have seen her human form, or he wouldn't have been so focused on the cat part.

"Edward." I called, getting his attention back from the thoughts he'd strayed into. "I'm going for a walk. We'll talk about this when I get back." I said, not waiting for a response before I propelled myself out the window and down into the green grass below.

I sprinted back to the clearing where we'd met and easily found her scent from earlier. I darted through the trees following it as it got stronger and stronger. I was probably only a couple miles from where I'd started when I found her. She was curled up beneath a tree on what looked like a makeshift bed she'd put together from ferns and leaves. She was still in her cat form and looked adorable, snoring little purrs. But then realization hit me and I frowned. I had thought her scent would lead me to a house, where she lived. Why was she sleeping on the ground in the middle of the forest? Didn't she have a home?

She looked so peaceful that I couldn't bear to wake her, despite my curiosity screaming at me to do so. Instead I took a seat against a tree nearby, watching on as the beautiful cat continued to slumber. Occasionally, her lips and whiskers would twitch, or a little growl would slip out. But the most amusing moment came just as the dawn neared. Her back leg twitched, then the front followed suit, before suddenly all her legs were moving like she was running, little snarls coming through her upturned lip. I couldn't help the giggle that escaped me and soon I had to cover my mouth while I shook with laughter.

"You're too cute." I whispered to the sleeping beast. Its nose twitched, but it continued to sleep on for another two hours.

Finally, with a huge yawn the large cat stood and stretched its strong body, its rear end up in the air, like it was doing downward dog.

An idea suddenly came to me and before I was noticed I quickly shut my eyes, feigning sleep. I knew she had finally noticed me when I heard a bubbly sound I can only describe as a purr with a high inflection at the end. I almost chuckled at the thought that this was probably the cat equivalent to "What the hell?"

The sound of soft paws padding towards me was followed by warm breath on my face. I discreetly breathed in the scent, nearly able to taste it on my tongue. It was an earthy smell like musk and flowers, but still fresh. I took in another whiff enjoying the heat as it washed over my skin. After a moment, I heard _myself_ being smelled and couldn't help but smile when a deep, soft purr began to accompany the scent investigation.

The almost inaudible sound of moving bones, caught my attention, and soon, there was a rough _human_ hand caressing my face, seemingly examining it by touch. Unable to wait any longer, I slowly opened my eyes, only to find them gazing into the blazing green orbs I'd been thinking about constantly since yesterday.

"Hello." I whispered into the inch of space between our faces. Apparently, her ignorance of personal boundaries didn't change in this form, but I wasn't complaining. She studied me for a moment, before leaning back on her heels, squatting before me. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done to keep my eyes on her face, when she was practically displaying herself for my viewing pleasure. But I'm glad I did, because after contemplating me for a moment longer, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and she opened her mouth, hesitantly and carefully forming…something.

"Haa" Her voice was gravely, like she'd never used it before in her life, and I suspected that she might not have. I watched her intently as her face scrunched up, while she focused on forming her mouth correctly. "Lo." She finally growled out. Now I was the one confused. "Haaa-Lo." She tried again, looking up at me for a reaction. This time I understood. She was mimicking me. Her "haa" was too long and her "lo" came out a little more like "Wo," but if my assumption that this was her first time speaking was correct, she'd done magnificently.

"Good, Bella!" I praised smiling at her and clapping my hands, she grinned at me. Granted it was kind of a feral grin, but I could tell she was proud of herself and I was practically beaming with pride myself. Now that I knew why she hadn't responded to me, I felt an urge to continue teaching her. This must have been how Jane felt when she met Tarzan. Of course, Bella was much more attractive than an ape man, and better smelling, I'm sure. Excited to try more words, I pointed to myself again and said, "Alice." I was careful to pronounce each syllable slowly and carefully, so she could understand. She studied my mouth and I repeated my name, before urging her to try.

"La-Liss" She tried, frowning at herself when it didn't sound right. I took her hand, getting her attention before pointing to my mouth and making the "Ahh" sound for "A" which she copied. Next I showed her "Li" and finally hissed out an "S" sound. When she'd successfully managed all three sounds, I put them together for her again and she copied me, or tried to.

"Uhh-Liss." She spoke in her same gravelly tone. She frowned and tried again with the same result. Apparently frustrated, she growled softly. Suddenly, that feral smile returned and she leaned forward, her face stopping an inch from mine. "Liss." She said with finality. I frowned. Did she just change my name?

"Bella…"

"Liss!" She repeated, staring at me hard, until I finally backed down. I guess these things took time. When I sighed, my gaze accidently wandered a little too far south and my breath caught in my throat. I needed to get this girl some clothes or it would only be a matter of time before she fried my brain and I became nothing more than a drooling idiot.

I took her hand in mine again and stood, pulling her up with me.

"Liss." She said again, observing me with interest, but also frowning, as she dropped my hand. I realized she thought I was leaving her and shook my head.

"No, Bella! Come on." Knowing she didn't understand, I waved my arm in an exaggerated effort to try and show her what I wanted. She hesitantly took a couple steps towards me and I captured her hand in mine again, this time pulling her with me back towards my house. I had so many plans racing through my head. I needed to get her some clothes first, but then maybe Edward would be able to figure out what happened to her through her thoughts, and CARLISLE! I bet he'd be able to teach her how to speak in no time! He's really good at explaining stuff like that. I admit, my patience isn't the best, though I would try hard for Bella. I looked back at the girl behind me. She didn't look malnourished at all, but she'd definitely need a shower. She was watching me cautiously. I think she trusted me, but I couldn't really blame her for being hesitant. After all, we only met yesterday.

It took us a while to get back, seeing as the further we got from her makeshift den, the more reluctant she was to go forward. By the end I was practically dragging her behind me while her eyes darted nervously around the foliage. Maybe I was pushing her too soon, but I didn't like the thought of her sleeping alone out in the woods. I wanted her safe and comfortable…I wanted her with me.

Just before we broke the tree line into my back yard, she ripped her hand from mine and I turned to find her back in cat form.

"Bella. It's okay." I soothed, kneeling down and taking her big furry face in my hands. Her green eyes were stormy with indecision and worry. I stared into the beautiful orbs, trying to get across my message, that I would protect her.

We sat like that for probably ten minutes before she finally started moving forward again, by my side. My family was gathered in the living room, already having heard and possibly seen us a while ago. When we reached the back doors, I opened them and went in first before holding them open for Bella, but she stopped just outside. Cautiously, she stretched out her neck, taking a sniff of the air inside our house. I knew she smelled my family, and for a moment, I was afraid whether she thought I had betrayed her when she turned an intense gaze upon me. I smiled at her, hoping she'd continue to trust me.

"Alice? What's going on?" I heard Carlisle whisper to me from the other room. It was so quiet that I almost didn't hear, and I didn't think Bella had heard at all, since she remained focused on the threshold of the house, deciding whether to take the chance or not.

"I brought home a friend and she's just a little nervous." I whispered back as lowly as I could, knowing that being closer to Bella she might hear, which she did. She stared up at me in that way she does when she's thinking hard. I kept the smile on my face, taking another step into the house and waving my hand for her to come in.

"Please Bella." I begged, pouting when she made no moves forward. The puppy dog look is universal right? It must be, because her front paw lifted, shifting her body weight towards me. It must have been involuntary because Bella looked as surprised as me, except she wasn't nearly as excited at this development.

My family was getting anxious, waiting for us. I could already hear Rosalie starting to grumble about pets and Esme shushing her.

Finally, the tension in Bella released and she made her decision, crossing over and into our house. I didn't close the door behind her. I didn't want her to feel trapped, but I led her into the living room and she followed, only a bit reluctantly.

As I could have predicted, even without my talent, the entire family was staring at us when we entered. I stumbled a bit in surprise as a blunt force hit the back of my legs and I turned to see Bella hiding behind me, as if my small frame could conceal a lion. I reached behind me, rubbing behind her ears to comfort her before turning back to my family with a grin.

"Umm, this is Bella. Can I keep her?" I asked jokingly, staring around at my speechless family.

"Alice? Where did you come across this animal?" Carlisle asked, studying Bella from his seat on the couch.

"Bella." I corrected. She was a person, even if they didn't know it. My father nodded his acknowledgment. "And I found her in the forest when I was hunting. I don't think she has any family and I didn't want her sleeping outside." Emmett laughed.

"Alice, she's an animal, they're supposed to be outside."

"Exactly." Rosalie agreed, her arms crossed as she scowled at Bella. "Besides we don't keep pets, we eat them." She added and I instinctively growled, crouching protectively in front of Bella. My sister's vampire side took this as a challenge and she snarled back at me. Emmett grabbed her arm before she could advance on me though. I could feel Bella cowering a bit behind me, her large body quivering, and immediately I returned to my relaxed stance.

"That's enough, Rosalie. No one will be eating Bella." Esme soothed, looking at Rose disapprovingly and looking concerned at the shaking cat behind me.

"Is there a reason why you're so taken with this particular cat? She is unique looking, but she's probably an escapee from somewhere, either a lab or…"

I interrupted Carlisle before he got too caught up in his thoughts. I didn't really want to tell my family; instead preferring to keep Bella's secret to myself, but it wasn't really fair to them, especially if I wanted her to stay here. Not to mention I needed some of them to help me with her.

"Actually Carlisle, she's not an animal…"

"Alice…" Emmett interrupted, but I quickly cut him off as well.

"Be quiet and I'll explain." I sneered at my brother. I loved him to death, but he needed to zip it! "Like I was saying, she's not an animal, she's a girl. A shape shifter, I think. I don't know anything else she could be." I paused looking at Carlisle, silently asking for him to figure it out. "From what I've been able to gather, she's never spoken and doesn't know English, or any other language for that matter. I think she must have grown up wild, for lack of a better term. She's smart though, she already started picking up words from me and trying to mimic them." I paused here to take in my family's reactions. Esme was predictably staring at Bella lovingly and I knew she was just waiting for her chance to coddle her. Emmett looked confused while Rosalie seemed just as unhappy with Bella as before. Edward was concentrating, on what I suspected were Bella's thoughts. Carlisle looked torn between the father and scholar parts of himself. For the moment, the scholar won out.

"Interesting. What words has she copied?"

"Hello and umm, my name." I would have been blushing at the end if I were human. But I couldn't hide the beaming smile on my face. Carlisle returned my smile softly, before looking back at Bella.

"Do you think she will turn back in our presence?" He asked, looking excited at the prospect of meeting her…in person.

"Oh, I'm not sure. I think she's still a little frightened." If the fact that she was still hiding behind me was any indication. "Plus, I'd like to try and get her into some clothes first." I added on, turning to Esme. "I think she's about your size, would you mind terribly if I borrowed a few of your things until I can go to the mall?"

"Of course not, dear. Help yourself." Esme said kindly, as I knew she would.

"Okay, I'm going to bring her up to my room and hopefully she'll become a little more comfortable being here." As I was about to turn around, I remembered something. "Umm Edward?" I asked. He looked up, but I took the frown on his face to be a bad sign.

"I can't really understand her." Well that was unexpected.

"What do you mean?" I asked anxiously. I was sort of depending on him to give me some insight.

"I mean, it's like you said, she doesn't know a language, so there are no words to explain anything in her head. It's just a bunch of pictures, but they're mostly of what's going on right now. She lives in the moment, like I would assume many animals do."

"Well you said most, so what are the other images of?" I prodded, hopeful for some clues.

"A couple times an image of you in the forest would come up. And once I got a flash of what I think was a deer, but it was half eaten already." He said.

"Oh! Maybe she's hungry!" Esme said jumping up and running to the kitchen. She startled Bella as she flew passed us, causing the large cat to hiss and fall into a crouch. Great, now I had to deal with an angry _and_ skittish feline.

Turning, I knelt down a couple feet from Bella. I thought about clapping my hands or something to get her attention, but it seemed kind of degrading, so I just waited for her to notice me. It didn't take long. Once Esme was out of sight, Bella immediately sought me out. The thought that she might look to me for comfort or safety had me grinning like a fool. She slunk towards me, a soft growl still on her lips as her eyes watched the rest of my family over my shoulder. It was actually pretty adorable.

"Bella." I said moving into her line of vision. Her growl intensified just slightly at the obstruction, but I held my ground. Her green eyes bore into my own and once again we found ourselves in a staring contest. It was all about whose will would break first and I needed it to be hers.

Five minutes passed before she finally huffed and looked away. I rubbed my hands up and down her neck soothingly and was greeted with a partly suppressed purr.

"Amazing." Carlisle said beneath his breath, taking in our interactions carefully.

"Right, well, I'm going to take Bella upstairs." I announced before turning towards the kitchen. "Esme, will you please leave the food outside my door. I think Bella needs some time to relax." With her confirmation, I started walking backwards towards the stairs, coaxing Bella to follow me, which was easier than before because she was eager to get away from all the new people around her. I saw her look briefly towards the exit, and my dead heart stuttered in my chest. _Please don't leave me._

I beamed at her when she gingerly started making her way up the stairs with me, curiously taking in the new scents and textures as she went. Once we were somewhat more secluded in the hallway, I could see some of the tension in her shoulders disappear and she began to explore everything around her even more. When we finally got to my room, I opened the door and watched as Bella's head popped up, her nose going crazy. A deep purr emanated from her chest as she quickly made her way inside. She stood to her full height taking in her surroundings, nose still twitching rapidly, like she wasn't sure where to begin. I waited in the doorway, following her with my eyes as she padded around the room. My room was pretty clean and styled in bright colors. My love of all things fashion, necessitated having a large closet, carefully organized by color, style, season, and occasion. In my main bedroom area, I had a queen size bed that felt like you were lying on a cloud, across from a large television on the wall and several bookshelves of movies. But the majority of the time I spent in my room was next to the large picture window, taking up most of my exterior wall. The window wall was at the end of a raised floor where I had an easel and several storage containers of sketchpads and other art supplies. At one time I had a bean bag chair, but it had taken the brunt of my rage and I had yet to replace it. I liked having my studio area separate from the rest of the room, even if it was only elevated by a couple steps.

I was lost in my thoughts when I felt a large head nudging me gently. I looked down to see Bella rubbing her face into my stomach, snuffing loudly, as she took in my smell.

I rested my hand on her head, petting it softly and enjoying the comforting purr that continued to ward off the silence. Though as much as I enjoyed her downy feel and lovable sounds, I wished she would turn back. I wanted to get to know her other half.

Remembering what Edward had said about her thoughts, I considered a new way of communicating with her. Giving her chin one more scratch, I moved over to the raised level of my room and grabbed a sketch pad and a pencil. I brought the human Bella to my mind and swiftly created a matching image on paper. Despite my embarrassment, I drew her whole body in great detail. I didn't know if she knew her reflection well enough to understand if I only drew her face. When I finished I stared at my drawing, eyes lingering on the tuft of hair covering her most precious place; a part of her I had denied myself anything more than a cursory glance at. It didn't seem right, despite her being so at ease nude. I reminded myself that it was only because she didn't know better.

Bella laid on the floor at the bottom of the stairs while I sketched, drifting off into a light slumber. I felt bad having to wake her up, but I was far too eager to wait any longer. A knock came at the door, followed by soft footsteps retreating down the hall. I quietly made my way across the room, careful not to disturb Bella and opened the door. Esme had left a sandwich and a glass of milk on a tray along with a neatly stacked pile of clothing for Bella.

I brought everything inside, sealing us back into our self-imposed isolation and made my way back to Bella. I wasn't sure what the best way to wake a sleeping lion was, so I chose a gentle approach, running my hand along the side of her face, caressing the soft fur beneath her ears, then down to her neck.

"Bella." I called softly, rousing her from sleep. Her nose twitched slightly, before she slowly opened her eyes, yawning widely, showing off four slightly larger than normal cat canines. Her other teeth too, looked a bit sharper than the average lion or tiger.

I gave her a bit more space as she came around, not wanting to startle her, but it was unnecessary as she seemed perfectly at ease, stretching and standing before trotting over to me, tongue hanging out happily. I smiled at her and held up the picture.

"Bella." I said, pointing to the sketch, then motioning to her. She closed her mouth as she studied the image of her human self. I tapped the picture again twice with my finger, raising an eyebrow and urging her on. She took a step back, glancing briefly towards the door, before her glorious fur receded and left a woman once more. "Bella!" I cried happily, jumping up and wrapping my arms around her without thinking. Her body went rigid in my embrace a low humming sound told me to let go, which I did abruptly, looking at her sheepishly.

Her eyes were dark, watching me speculatively for a moment before taking me by complete surprise and lunging for me, knocking my body to the ground. I twisted on the descent, so I could try and catch myself, but ended up sprawled out on my stomach, with Bella's heavy weight on top of me. She felt denser than a normal human. It didn't take me long to realize just what primal instinct I'd brought out of her. It was pretty obvious that I was being mounted. And while part of me was thrilled at the idea, namely my southern region, my brain was screaming at me get control.

Bella's toned body held me to the floor, her hips pistoning against my backside. It was raw and animalistic and I was fighting the vampire in me from responding. The snarls and grunts I heard behind me weren't helping the situation at all. Then, she was tugging at my jeans, apparently realizing that these coverings were in the way of our mating. I don't think the fact that we were both females even entered her mind as a problem for normal reproductive copulation.

Lost in my thoughts again, I hadn't realized she'd pulled my hips up, and found myself on all fours on the floor, her heavy body laying over my back as she continued to hump me frantically. My jeans were now ripped at the waist and falling down my backside with each thrust. Her hot breath on my neck and the sound of her panting in my ear was too much for me and I released a strangled moan. This only spurred her on and she rocked into me harder and faster.

"Mother! Alice is engaging in bestiality." Rosalie's voice carried to my ears from downstairs and knocked me out of my lustful haze.

"No, Bella!" I yelled, pushing back and rolling us over onto the ground. While she was disoriented I jumped to my feet. "No!" I reiterated to the cat-woman who was still very much on the prowl. Despite being in human form, she crawled towards me on hands and knees, green eyes penetrating mine hungrily. "Bella…" I said warningly, taking a few steps back. "Bad! Bad Bella!" I scolded her advancing form, but it did nothing to deter her and I found myself backed into a corner…literally.

My eyes darted around looking for anything that might help me hold her off, when a sparkle caught my eye. I glanced between Bella's stalking form and the bedside table where my diamond bracelet lay and made a decision. I dove over the bent form of Bella and grabbed the bracelet, holding it up in front of me for her to see. As I had hoped the sparkling gems distracted her from her previous task and I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, because if she had gotten me in that position again, I wouldn't have stood a chance of fighting off both her and my own urges.

I let her examine the bracelet until I was sure any lustful thoughts had left her completely, then I decided to bring her the sandwich Esme prepared. I sat across from her, clearing my throat to get her attention and holding up the plate. Bella's eyes met mine before trailing down to my hands.

"Liss!" She said happily reaching for the plate, but I pulled it back from her, causing her to growl at me, rather fiercely. I wasn't having that.

"No!" I scolded her, returning her glare. She scowled, and tried to reach again for the plate, but I held it out behind me, putting a hand against her chest to push her back. "No!" I repeated. When she realized she wasn't going to win, she sat back on her haunches, huffing. I brought the plate back in front of me, gesturing to it and saying, "Food," taking care to elongate each syllable for her to hear. She didn't immediately catch on to what I wanted so I repeated the word a few more times, each time looking at her for a response.

On the sixth time around, Bella finally made an attempt.

"Foo." I smiled and repeated the word once more, emphasizing the "d" at the end. "Foo-duh!" Bella said, looking rather irritated. Eh, close enough.

"Good Bella!" I cheered, immediately rewarding her with the sandwich and a big grin.

Rather than taking the plate, she grabbed at the food, taking some of the bread and tomato attached to it and tearing a piece off with her teeth. She looked disgusted as she spat it out and snatched some of the turkey still on the plate. She didn't seem to particularly enjoy that either, but ate it anyway. I made a mental note to tell Esme we'd need more red meat and fruits in the house.

Once she had finished I retrieved the milk, contemplating whether having it in a glass was a good idea. My fears were justified when I handed it to her and she proceeded to dump the contents all over herself without even a reaching her mouth. I sighed, picking up the glass and urging Bella to her feet, so I could throw a towel over the ground.

I suppose I could try to put it in a bowl next time, but I really wanted to encourage her human side. So instead I grabbed a sheet of paper and started a shopping list, with the first item being sippy cups.

"Come on Bella. You need a bath." I said, pulling on her hand so she followed me into the bathroom. I made my way to the tub, turning on the tap and adjusting the water until it was a little more than luke warm. I poured in a little bubble bath for fun and turned around.

"Bella! No!" I screeched, racing over to her side. A bar of Parisian hand soap was half in her mouth, with another one in her right hand when I reached her. "Spit it out!" I said, holding my hand up under her chin. She looked like she might challenge me for a moment, but thankfully she let the soap fall from her mouth. It couldn't possibly have tasted good, either, which may have been an added incentive. I grabbed the other from her hand, placing them back on the counter before pulling her back to the tub.

"Alright, get in." I stated, pointing to the bath. Bella followed my gaze, before looking back at me in confusion. "Come on Bella!" I groaned. Like I said, patience wasn't a trait I possessed regularly. She stood staring at me, her head slightly tilted. "Fine!" I muttered, reaching down to roll up my pant legs and pull off my shoes, I stepped into the bath tub, gesturing for her to follow my lead. She stayed where she was a moment longer before taking a few steps towards me. Oh how I wanted to just pick her up and throw her in, but I knew that would ruin the trust I'd worked for with her. Instead, I sat on the ledge, patting the water.

Bella bent forward, reaching her hand until it just barely touched the water before pulling it back. "Good, Bella! It's just water, see?" I encouraged, taking her hand in mine and pulling gently, only enough to suggest her movement, but not forcing it.

After much deliberation on her part, Bella finally stepped into the tub and I continued to pull on her hand until she sat down. She looked completely adorable as she sat in the water like a lump, staring up at me with wide fearful eyes.

"Shh, it's okay." I soothed, running my fingers through her hair, trying to help her relax. Her body was still stiff as I cupped some water in my hand and raised it to her upper arm, letting it fall over her skin. "See, it's just water." I said softly, moving my hand to rub her back. I continued cooing to her as she adjusted to her new environment and sensations. Once I could feel the tension release from her body, I pulled a wash cloth from a hook and held it out for her to see. She took a hand out of the water and felt the rough cotton, examining it. When I saw her opening her mouth to taste it, I pulled it away.

"No." I told her sternly, but hopefully not in a mean way. She wrinkled her nose, narrowing her eyes at me, but made no move to try again, so I brought it back, this time, dipping the cloth in water and running it over her arm gently. She didn't object, so I discreetly added some body wash, making a lather and began rubbing it over her body, scrubbing away dirt and grime from God only knows how long.

I hesitated briefly when I reached her chest and southern bits, but tried to treat them like any other part of her body, quickly finishing up. Bella had slipped into a peaceful state, her eyes closed and head resting on one of my knees. A soft purr had started to penetrate the silence as I worked, and I had to hold off the beast within me from joining in. My vampire side, being so instinct driven, related to Bella and was drawn to her. It was ironic really, as I was trying to draw out her human side, she was bringing out the animal part of me.

When I started to massage some shampoo into her beautiful tresses a little moan slipped out of her lips. I had to bite back my growl. My body was calling for me to take her, just as she had tried to do earlier. It didn't care how well we knew each other or any other "human" concerns. It recognized her readiness to mate and was all too eager to please. But that wasn't going to happen. She was too vulnerable at the moment. I'd feel like I was taking advantage of her.

I was finally satisfied that Bella was clean and let the water drain out of the tub. The sound startled Bella and she practically jumped out of the bath and into my arms, knocking us both to the floor with a thump.

"Is everything okay up there?" Esme called up to me. I stood, picking Bella up with me and placing her on the ground.

"We're fine." I returned, grabbing a large towel from the counter drying Bella off. She watched in fascination as I made quick work of the task, lest I linger too long around her body. After that, I pulled her with me back into my bedroom and headed towards the bed where I'd placed Esme's clothes.

"Bella you can't just walk around naked. You don't want everyone ogling your goodies." I explained to the completely unconcerned girl, who had crawled on to the bed next to me and proceeded to knead the duvet with her hands. "Okay fine. I don't want everyone ogling your goodies." I admitted, knowing she wouldn't understand, even if she were listening to me.

I pulled on her leg, to get her attention, holding up a simple pair of panties. She watched curiously as I got them on her legs and pulled them into place. I was careful to keep my hands on the outside of her legs. I didn't need to tempt fate here. I stood back, waiting for her reaction.

Bella stared down at her waist for a minute, frowning before standing abruptly and wiggling her hips, letting out a low whine as she did so. I saw her start to pull on the waist band and grabbed her hand before she ripped them off.

"No Bella." I said firmly, pointing a finger at her. She stared at me, eyes glistening, and looking so sad it practically broke my heart. She moved her other hand inside the front of the panties, pulling it away from her body and grimacing. I stilled that hand as well, shaking my head no.

She jerked her hand, testing my strength and commitment, and growled a bit when I stayed firm. She finally huffed and stopped fighting me. I thought I had won and removed my hands only to have her immediately rip the offending garment off herself, beaming at me. I tried to look angry at her, but it was no use. She was just like a toddler in the "no clothes" stage, knowing they're naughty for taking off their clothes, but doing it anyway. I shook my head, chuckling softly.

I picked up another pair to try again, but Bella fought me all the way as I struggled to get them over her feet. Eventually, she wrenched her legs apart, snapping the pink cotton.

"Fine!" I said throwing my hands up in the air. "No panties for the wild woman!" I said, ignoring the loud "Whoop" from Emmett, and the smack that followed, as I made an exaggerated gesture of pushing the pile of underwear away from the other clothes and watching Bella's smile grow wider if possible. I looked at the rest of what Esme brought, wondering just what I was going to get her to wear. Judging by her reaction, I'm guessing she didn't like the tightness. I was hoping that was all it was, or I'd never get her in clothes.

For my next attempt, I decided to try her upper half, pulling one of the looser t-shirts from the pile and moving towards Bella. She was sitting on the bed watching me somewhat defiantly, now that she knew something was going on. I placed the shirt on the bed next to her and brought my hands to her sides, sliding them up gently until I was pulling her arms up and over her head. I watched her eyes for any extreme unease, but found none. She was watching me closely, but seemed to be letting it play out for now. Holding her wrists with one hand, I grabbed the shirt with the other.

It was tricky getting her arms through, but thankfully she didn't fight me this time, or it would have been impossible. I scrunched the shirt up before pulling it over her head. I wanted to make sure she wouldn't have to find herself in a cotton prison, in case it freaked her out. When I finally pulled the shirt into place, it fit her snuggly, which I was afraid of. It lasted longer than the panties, at least, but I soon found myself staring at a naked Bella once more. Before I could even attempt to grab something else from the pile, Bella pushed everything onto the floor, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Liss. No." She said, pointing her finger at me as I had done to her numerous times today already. I gaped at her scolding me and didn't know whether to laugh or be upset with the situation. Apparently, I had found myself a nudist.

"Let me try one more time." I pleaded with the uncomprehending girl. Darting out of the room, I returned a second later holding a pair of Edward's basketball shorts. They had a drawstring, which is why I picked them, but they were going to be very loose on her everywhere else. If she was going to show off at least half her body, I'd rather it be the slightly less provocative upper half.

I held up the shorts to her and she wrinkled her nose, but didn't protest, so I carefully pulled them onto her legs and had her stand again so I could pull them into place. I tightened the drawstring, but they still barely hung onto her hips. She wiggled again, testing them. She caught my eye and held the gaze as she brought her hand to the waist band.

"No, Bella. Please." I begged her with my eyes. I didn't restrain her, this time though. She stared at me, reading my expression, her hand frozen at her waist, until finally she let it fall away. The shorts stayed.

I beamed at her, wanting to hug her again, but visions of our earlier tryst stopping me.

"Good girl." I said softly, smiling at her and letting my hands run a course up and down her arms.

All of the sudden she started looking around, sniffing, and I watched, baffled, as she made her way over to my open balcony door. My eyes widened when she squatted over my cherry wood landing!

"No!" I gasped, but it was too late. She was urinating on my balcony! I suppose I should be thankful she knew enough to go outside, but still! She turned her head to look at me in confusion, but didn't cease her actions. On top of everything, she'd just soiled the shorts I'd fought to get her in.

I slapped myself in the forehead. Unbelievable.

"I think your cat-girl needs another bath." I heard Emmett laughing from downstairs.

"Emmett, go get the hose and clean off the balcony." Esme scolded him and I smiled, before I realized he'd then be seeing Bella half naked.

"Bella, come here." I coaxed when she stood back up, pulling at the now wet shorts with a frown. Never the less, she followed my motions back into the bathroom, where once again, I carefully washed her off. Oh, the trials I had to go through for this girl.


	3. Meet and Greet

**A/N WOW! I can't believe the response this story got! That's awesome! Thanks for reviewing. This chapter has a little less humor than the last one, but hopefully you still enjoy it. **

Chapter 2

I realized at some point I would need to leave Bella alone, whether to hunt, or shop for all the things she needed. She couldn't very well come to the mall with me. That being decided, I thought Esme would be the least threatening of my family to introduce.

As soon as Bella had caught her scent and Esme started to open my door, Bella was back in cat form, this time hiding behind my bed.

"Come on in Esme." I said, when I noticed my mother paused in the doorframe. She edged her way into the room, keeping her side to Bella, and I looked at her questioningly.

"Caesar says that you should never approach a frightened animal facing them." I rolled my eyes. Esme was an avid fan of the Dog Whisperer. I looked back to wear Bella was watching our interaction guardedly. She didn't seem any closer to coming out to meet us. "Dear, if I may?" Esme said, looking to me as she pulled out a few strips of rare venison. "I had Carlisle bring home some meat from his hunt while you were bathing Bella. I thought they might help us lure her out so I can show her I mean no harm." I nodded eagerly, smiling at how thoughtful my mother was. She handed me one, to start us off and I danced over to Bella's side of the bed, holding the flesh out in front of me.

"Bellllaaa." I sang happily to the lion who was torn between keeping an eye on Esme and sniffing at the meat in my hand. "Look what I have." I cooed, squatting a little ways from her, to try and get her out in the open. She stood up out of her crouch, leaning towards me and opened her mouth, breathing in the scent better. Her tongue fell out, dripping saliva onto the floor and I wrinkled my nose. My poor room was taking a beating from this girl. It's a good thing she's so cute. "Come on, sweetie. Please." I begged, fixing her with my puppy eyes again, and wiggling the meat more. She took a few steps closer and I beamed at her. "Good Bella. Come here."

Finally, after a little more coaxing, Bella gently took the piece of meat out of my hand, before nuzzling her large head against me. I rubbed her fur, praising her all the while before stepping back again and grabbing another slice of meat, Esme tossed to me. This time, I laid it on the floor between Bella and Esme, before rejoining my mother. Bella looked at the food apprehensively before turning her questioning gaze on me and the new woman at my side. Esme smiled softly at the large cat, but didn't say anything. Suddenly I had an idea. Sitting down, I nudged my mother with my arm.

"Here, sit down across from me, and we'll just start chatting. Don't look at her at all. Just pretend you don't even know she's there." I said, placing another slab of meat right next to us, before beginning a conversation with Esme. As soon as she thought we weren't watching, Bella eased across the floor, munching on the bit of venison there, all the while keeping us in her sights. I could see her out of the corner of my eye, crouched, but looking between Esme and the meat near her intensely. As soon as she began to move, I quickly reminded my mother not to react.

After some time, Bella finally approached us, glancing at me briefly before sniffing at Esme, who looked fit to burst from excitement. Rather than taking the meat, Bella laid down next to me, plopping her head in my lap and staring at Esme inquisitively. I stroked her head in a calming fashion and nodded towards the meat beside my mother.

Slowly, so as not to startle Bella, Esme picked up the slice of venison and brought her hand within about a foot of Bella's face, holding it there as an offering. I nudged the large cat with my leg, while continuing to stroke her head. "It's okay, Bella." I said softly, when she finally lifted a bit, leaning towards the hand before her. She sniffed and snuffled a bit, but finally slipped her tongue out, claiming the food.

At last the introductions were complete. Esme and I continued talking with cat Bella laying partially in my lap for the next couple hours. Once Bella seemed well at ease with our guest, I decided to do a little test, and carefully extricated myself, standing and walking across the room, leaving her and Esme alone. She perked up, staring after me anxiously, but didn't follow, or react towards Esme, so I tried another test; this time, slowly leaving the room, and closing the door behind me. As I closed the door, she stood, taking a few steps towards me, a small whine leaving her lips. I stayed outside for about a minute. I couldn't last much longer than that, hearing her whimpers from the other side. When I rentered the room Bella was just inside the door, waiting for me.

"Aww, I'm right here sweetie." I cooed, when I saw her green eyes staring up at me in confusion and sadness. She rubbed herself against me, nearly knocking me over with her weight. "How was she?" I asked Esme, while trying to calm Bella.

"Well, she didn't seem to care at all that I was in the room with her, just that you had left. I guess that could be a good or bad thing. She seems to have some separation anxiety." My mother said, watching Bella and I with fondness.

Esme stayed with us for a few more hours and soon Bella was comfortable enough that she fell asleep, still in cat form.

Now was my chance. Leaving my mother with strict instructions to call me if anything happened, I raced downstairs to my car and peeled off to the mall.

My first stop was PetsMart to get a grass mat for my balcony, because I didn't think Bella could learn to use a toilet overnight, and I wasn't going to have her peeing on my cherry wood again. That done, I headed to Super Target for some sippy cups and a few food essentials. Then finally it was time for my favorite type of shopping. Clothes! I loaded up on basketball shorts, followed by a few loose pants that I hoped to get her in later on. Next, I picked up some sandals and shoes before heading off to find a shirt that Bella might not shred. I considered my options. It couldn't impede her movement, so sleeves were definitely out. I'm not sure if she'd like anything around her neck or not. In the end, I just got a wide variety of tank tops, tube tops, and blouses. I didn't bother with underwear for now, knowing she wouldn't wear it and wanting to get home as soon as I could.

Skidding to a stop in my driveway, I yelled for the boys to get my stuff while sprinting up to my room. It was quiet, but I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Approaching my door I heard Esme's soft voice come through the wall and I finally relaxed, smiling.

"…And when he came to the place where the wild things are, they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth."

Opening the door to my room carefully, I peeked inside only to find my mother sitting on the bed next to Bella (still in cat form) reading _Where the Wild Things Are_. "Hello." I said softly, as both occupants of my bed looked up when I entered. Before I could react, Bella shot off the bed, tackling me to the ground. Her rough tongue swept over my cheek and I laughed, not bothering to try and push her off of me. "I missed you too, Bella." I said, nuzzling my head under her furry chin.

"I think I'll just go help the boys with those bags." Esme said, smiling down at us as she politely excused herself from the room.

It didn't take long after I crawled up on my bed with Bella before she was fast asleep, her larger body curled around mine. Once she started making her cute little snuffly snores, I knew it was safe to move and I went downstairs to gather her things.

"How is she?" Esme asked from her spot beside Carlisle on the couch, as I walked into the living room.

"She's sleeping." I smiled softly, still able to hear her even breathing from above.

"I'm not surprised. She probably tired herself out." Carlisle said, and Esme nodded. I looked at them worriedly.

"What do you mean? She seemed fine when I got home."

"Your pet was whimpering and whining almost the whole time you were gone." Rosalie put in harshly from behind her book. "I would have happily put her out of her misery, but Esme wouldn't let me."

I snarled at my sister, crouching for a fight, but Carlisle cut in before I had the chance to rip her head off.

"Enough Rosalie. Alice, Bella was perfectly safe while you were gone, so just settle down." Despite his reassurance, it took a couple minutes for me to calm my threatened beast enough that I could speak again.

"What happened?" I asked for clarification, this time to my mother.

"Well, she woke up from her nap, and seemed startled that you weren't in the room with her. I tried to calm her down, but she just started crying at the door. I felt so helpless, I didn't know what to do."

"Why didn't you call me?" I growled, feeling terrible that Bella had been so distressed.

"Well I was about to, but Carlisle suggested that I might try singing to soothe her, and it worked. Once she was a little calmer, I thought I would distract her by reading a little."

"It familiarizes her with the language as well. The more she hears, the more she'll pick up." Carlisle put in.

"I was only in my third book when you came home, but Bella seemed to like them. I was hoping she'd turn back to her human form, but I guess she's still not quite comfortable enough with me." Esme said, frowning, and Carlisle wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"We all just need to be patient with her. This is all new to Bella. She's like a toddler."

I couldn't help grimacing a bit at Carlisle's assessment. Sure, my mind recognized Bella's infantile intellect, but my body only saw her as a woman. A grown woman with luscious curves, soft skin, and an eagerness to touch and be touched. Her whole being sang to me both as a person and a beast. So frankly, having her referred to as a toddler was fairly cringe worthy.

I made my way back upstairs a while later with a travelling mug of water for Bella. It was like an adult sippy cup, and just like talking about her as a toddler turned me off, so did thinking of her drinking from a Disney Princess cup.

Since Bella was still sleeping I decided to just grab a magazine and join her on the bed. With the latest Vogue in hand I crawled up into bed, scooting over until I was leaning against a pillow, right next to Bella's head. Her nose twitched and one large paw came down over my lap. I giggled lightly to myself before settling in.

Bella seemed quite content to sleep for a long while. It wasn't until almost four hours later that I felt her finally stir next to me. I had finished my magazine and adjusted so that I was now lying down with my eyes closed. It was peaceful to just be still and listen to Bella's little sleep sounds. She couldn't have been cuter if she tried. At some point, she had moved closer and laid her large furry head on my stomach. I smiled as I felt her purrs vibrate through my body.

I heard the yawn next to me as the large lion awoke, but remained committed to my false slumber. The warm body next to mine was too comfortable to give up so soon. I was surprised when I felt her shift forms without any enticement and wondered what she wanted that required her to change. I peeked through my barely open eyelashes to see Bella's beautiful and curious face hovering over me. Her eyes were lidded like she was still partially asleep, and there was a soft smile on her face, barely even noticeable. Suddenly, she leaned down until her face was nearly touching my own and the tip of her pink tongue peeked out as she licked my cheek. It was just one small swipe, and I saw a blush color her face before she moved back away from me.

I couldn't help the ear to ear grin that broke across my face as I finally opened my eyes completely to see Bella watching me from her side of the bed. She smiled that feral smile back at me and I laughed.

A soft knock distracted me and Bella started inching to the far side of the bed, away from the door. I patted her hand with a reassuring smile before calling for Esme to come in. I was watching Bella closely to see if she would change, but she didn't. Instead she just slipped off the side of the bed, so it was between her and Esme when she walked in the room.

I saw my mother's eyes widen, but thankfully she swallowed her gasp of surprise. She quickly collected herself and met my eyes, trying to remain as casual as possible as she made her way towards the bed. Bella's green eyes watched her like a hawk, waiting for the slightest threatening movement.

When Esme was about five feet away, she stopped and I finally noticed she was holding something behind her back. When she brought her hands forward, I saw that they were different types of children's activity books; coloring books, alphabet books, ones with numbers or shapes.

"You bought those for Bella?" I asked, despite already knowing the answer. Esme nodded, smiling gently as her eyes briefly darted to the still human girl hiding behind my bed.

"Carlisle and I went out and got a few things." My mother said happily and I resisted snorting. That was an understatement if my vision was anything to go by. In the last few hours Esme had turned one of our small rooms downstairs into a makeshift classroom, complete with a student desk, full size white board, and several posters and supplies for teaching. I couldn't really blame her though. Bella was probably the closest thing to a real child my mother would get. Sure, she'd always thought of Edward as her baby, and him being so young, she is still able to coddle him occasionally; but Bella required much more attention and affection, things Esme would happily shower her with if given the chance.

I smiled, thanking her on Bella's behalf. I also took note that she seemed to want something else and raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Well, Carlisle and I thought Bella should be introduced to the rest of the family so she can at least move about the house in cat form. I don't like her being stuck up here. I think she needs more room." Esme said frowning.

I had to suppress the growl rising in my throat. The vampire side of me didn't like Esme's insinuation that I wasn't properly caring for Bella. It liked being told what to do with her even less. Bella is mine. If _my mate_ needed something, _I_ would provide it. Where Bella was concerned, no one else should be. At least, that's what my beast told me.

The rational side of me realized that this was my mother and she was only concerned for Bella, as she would be about any of her children. I should be happy that she already thinks of Bella like family. But that didn't make it any easier to stop myself from jumping up and growling that Bella was mine. It wasn't lost on me that the beast considers Bella its mate either, but any self discovery would have to wait for now. Bella was looking between my tense posture and Esme, her eyebrows furrowed in either worry or anger; I couldn't be sure which. When she hissed at my mother, I had my answer. Esme frowned deeply, taking a few steps back from the bed. I felt bad, but her retreat also helped me gain some control of my monster and I moved to the side of the bed to soothe my frazzled girl. It was a good sign, at least, that she hadn't changed form.

"Shhh, Bella. I'm okay. I'm not upset, see?" I cooed, running my fingers through her hair until she finally looked away from my mother. It was a completely different experience trying to calm her in her human form. More intimate. I liked it.

While one hand continued combing through her hair, the other one gently cupped her cheek as I tried to relay the fact that I wasn't upset through my eyes. Bella seemed to understand, leaning into the hand on her cheek, her eyes closed briefly and I smiled.

A small unnecessary shuffle reminded me that Esme was still in the room and I reluctantly leaned back on to the bed. To my shock, Bella crawled up onto the bed with me, curling into my side, a small possessive growl on her lips, while her eyes remained focused on Esme. My mother also seemed shocked by the fact that a naked Bella was now latched onto my side. My hands moved unconsciously to conceal Bella, as best I could, from Esme's view. The beast and I agreed that Bella's bare form was not for others to view.

"We'll come downstairs in a few minutes for introductions, once Bella's had a little time to calm down." I told my mother, though Bella seemed have already reached that point, nuzzling her head against the side of my breast. Esme nodded.

"I'll be sure to tell them how to act, so they won't frighten her." My mother said, before finally leaving Bella and me alone. My hand moved of its own accord to stroke her soft brown tresses and she looked up at me, green orbs practically glowing with what I hoped was happiness. Her emotions were still so difficult to read, but her actions usually told me all I needed to know, especially right now.

Her purr deepened and she kneaded my stomach, relaxing me enough that I could ignore the fight downstairs between Rosalie and our parents. Not surprisingly, she didn't want to do introductions.

About five minutes later, I reluctantly sat up, dislodging a now disgruntled Bella from my side. A tiny growl fell from her lips as she tried to push me back down. "No Bella." I shook my head, without any real feeling, since I didn't really want to leave either. Never the less, I climbed out of bed and started moving towards the door looking behind to see if Bella was following. I didn't bother with clothes, knowing she'd be back in lion form as soon as we left the room. The hard part would be _getting_ her to leave the room.

She stood next to the bed, staring after me in confusion and looking a little upset. I immediately felt the need to wrap her in my arms and make it better, but I didn't. I couldn't.

"Come on Bella." I urged, waving my hand towards the door. When she still didn't move, I decided it called for drastic measures. So leaving the door open, I strode purposefully into the hallway, not looking back. As I knew she would, Bella was right behind me before I'd made it half way down the hall. What I hadn't predicted was that she was still a woman. Stopping dead, I turned around, giggling as my shadow bumped right into me. I wanted to make her change. It was bad enough that Esme had seen her naked, but I didn't want anyone else to. But if I forced her to change into her lion form now, it might give my family a negative connotation for her, and I didn't want that. So with a huff, I continued my march down the hallway.

I didn't need to worry, as it turned out, because as soon as we reached the staircase and Bella caught the scents that several people were present, she was back in cat form faster than you could say kitty. I couldn't help the smug little smile that snuck across my face. My Bella's goodies were safe from prying eyes once more.

"Okay, we're coming down. Remember, no sudden movements, no sounds. Just stay still and be quiet." I called down the stairs, as my siblings grumbled. Despite their obvious displeasure at being ordered around, when I finally coaxed Bella downstairs, our living room looked like a wax museum. Carlisle and Edward were sitting at the chess table, while Esme sat in a chair nearby, a partially knitted baby hat in her lap, a charity practice she did for the hospital nursery. Rosalie was scowling, but sat stiffly beside Emmett on the couch. My large brother was grinning, and even though he was perfectly still, the controlled energy was practically falling off him in visible waves.

I looked down to see Bella taking everything in warily, but at least she wasn't hiding behind my legs anymore. Slowly I walked further into the room and took a seat in the center on our couch. Bella quickly followed, leaning against my legs, as they hung off the front of the sofa.

"Well this is boring." Emmett whispered out of the side of his mouth, and I glared at him as Bella whipped her head around, hissing.

"Shhh, Bella. Shhhh. You're okay." I soothed, running my fingers over her back, watching her body quiver at my touch. Her nose was twitching like crazy at all the scents. After about ten minutes, with no further movement on Bella's part, I decided to push her a little. Standing I moved over to where my youngest brother and father sat. They had remained completely still and silent the whole time, and Bella had barely given them a glance. I was half way there before she rejoined me. Her body was low to the ground as she tried to stay close to me. I noticed her tail was between her legs and couldn't help reaching down to rub her head. She was so hard _not_ to coo at, but I restrained myself…barely.

When we reached the chess table, I quietly reminded them once again to hold their postures. I knew I was being bossy, but I couldn't help it. It seemed anything to do with Bella's comfort or safety triggered primal urges to protect my mate, and they overshadowed my family bonds.

Bella was a little further behind me now, but still reached her head around my leg, sniffing wildly in the direction of both my father and brother. After a few minutes, Bella started moving a bit more, and looking around the room again, before heading towards the kitchen.

"She needs the bathroom." Edward said, chuckling quietly. My eyes widened and I hurried after the large cat before she piddled on Esme's floors.

"Bella! I called, but I found her a moment later, trying to open the kitchen door with her head. Hurrying forward, I grasped the handle and opened the door, letting Bella take off into the back yard. When I saw where she was headed I gasped. "No Bella! Not the rose bushes!" I squeaked, running after her. Esme's prize winning roses were one thing not even Rosalie messed with. They were completely off limits to anyone who didn't wish to die or be severely maimed.

Despite running at full speed, Bella was faster. But rather than stopping at the garden she darted past it into the woods, and I breathed a sigh of relief, before following her more slowly. I wasn't thinking as I blindly followed Bella into the woods, and had to quickly turn away to afford her some modesty when I found her relieving herself in a clearing.

"Sorry." I mumbled, embarrassed, despite knowing Bella didn't really care, nor did she understand my apology.

Even though I knew she had finished, I remained turned away out of politeness. I didn't hear her approach, so when her rough voice whispered my name I shivered involuntarily.

"Lisssss?"

Turning around I found Bella human once more and she was holding up a handful of wild berries.

"Foo?" She murmured, as if she wasn't sure she was saying it right.

"Food. Yes! Good Bella!" I praised, grinning widely at her. She held her hand out, offering them to me and I shook my head, pushing the berries back towards her. Stubborn as always, she frowned, thrusting them back at me.

Sighing, I held out my hand and she dropped them in, smushing a couple in the process and beaming at me. When she turned away, I quickly tossed the berries over my shoulder and shuffled to her side. I wasn't sure where she was going, but she seemed to have a destination in mind as I followed her further into the forest. Reaching down, I gently took her hand in mine and intertwined our fingers. The gesture apparently surprised her because she stopped abruptly.

She looked down at our clasped fingers curiously before lifting both hands higher and looking at me with confusion. I just shrugged, letting our arms swing while carrying on in the direction we headed, causing Bella to continue along with me. At first she walked awkwardly, seemingly unsure how to move with an arm tethered to someone else, but soon enough she'd gotten the hang of it.

The further into the forest we got, the wider Bella's grin grew until she finally stopped and turned to me. A raised an eyebrow as she looked at me from beneath her lashes, still grinning madly.

"Liss." She purred softly before pulling me after her again. In just a few steps, we emerged into a small clearing. It seemed almost perfectly circular, maybe only ten feet in diameter, but it was large enough for a ray of sun to sneak through the normally thick canopy of trees. The light fell upon the small clearing like a divine golden beam, bouncing off the array of wildflowers growing there. I'd never seen so many different colored flowers growing freely in one space. It was gorgeous and I couldn't fathom how this small wonderful place had escaped my notice on all my past hunting trips. But I suppose it was still fairly close to our house, not where I normally roamed.

But the natural magnificence of the space paled in comparison with the girl who'd brought me here…who was currently watching me shyly…and nibbling on her bottom lip. Damn….She's so sexy and she doesn't even know it!

Her skin seemed to be glowing from within, as the sun shimmered down onto her naked body. I couldn't stand it. My feet started moving before I'd even thought to do so. This time I was the one invading her personal space, stopping only a couple inches from her face.

"It's beautiful Bella. Thank you." I told her softly, leaning in and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. I couldn't stop the giggle from bursting passed my lips when I leaned back and saw her green eyes wide and looking at me in confused awe. Still chuckling, I shook my head, pulling her into the middle of the clearing and laying down in the flowers. She laid beside me, propping her head up on her elbow and staring down at me. I watched her eyes traveling along my skin and knew she was inspecting the sparkles.

She started poking at them like she was counting freckles, glancing up to see if I was reacting. I remained still, letting her observe and explore. A few minutes later, Bella's curiosity seemed appeased and she finally settled in at my side, her arm brushing against mine as we stared up at the clouds.

**A/N I changed the ending.  
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	4. BACK OFF!

**A/N Okay, first of all, I know it's frustrating when stories we like aren't updated, but let's please try and stay civil. I am trying. I wanted to get my next chapter up on the other story first, but I haven't had time to finish it yet. **

**Secondly, I changed the ending of the last chapter, after several of you pointed out that Alice should have sparkled. So you may want to reread the last couple paragraphs.  
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**Third, and lastly, though all my reviewers are awesome, even the one who told me to stab myself with a pencil :) I'm dedicating this chapter to the one named Boo, because, he/she kept me in perspective with Bella's character. Thanks **

Chapter 3

"Alright Bella. Work with me now." I pleaded as I once again tried to get my girl into some damn clothes. Esme was starting her lessons today, and I refused to let anyone look at Bella's body. It was bad enough my mother had gotten a glimpse of it. Getting her into the basketball shorts had been pretty easy, considering what I expected, but the top was going to be difficult. For some reason, Bella seemed particularly opposed to wearing anything on her upper half. This would be my third attempt at getting her in a shirt. The first one had short sleeves and was immediately ripped off. The second was a tank top, and stayed only slightly longer. This time, I thought I'd figured out a way to cover up her girls with as little obstruction to the rest of her as possible.

"Hands up." I said, showing Bella with my own arms so she'd mimic me. She was grinning that special feral smile of hers, looking all too amused at my plight. I chose to ignore that fact as I fitted the belt of elastic cotton over her chest. In actuality it was a halter top that I had ripped the bottom off of so that there'd be as little restricting fabric as possible. Just a strip large enough to conceal her breasts from others views. As was typical, Bella performed her little wiggle dance to see how much of a hindrance it would be to her movement. After a minute of this, she looked at me, deliberating something before finally letting her left hand wave off her side a little. I'd come to realize this was her way of shrugging and beamed at the acceptance.

"Thank you Bella!" I gushed, relieved as I wrapped my arms around her overly warm and bare torso. It was a millisecond after this action that I considered the last time I'd given her a hug. Thankfully this one didn't seem to trigger her mating impulse, so I let myself linger, reveling in the soft skin under my hands and cheek.

Her arms remained limp at her sides, but when I didn't let go, they wound around my back, shadowing my actions. When I finally pulled back there was a soft smile on Bella's face, but her eyes were stormy with confusion.

"Liss?" I don't know how, but I instinctively knew what she wanted.

"Hug." I told her, giving a name to our action.

"Ha-guh?"

"Yes Bella. Good. Hug." I said again smiling and leaning in to give her another quick example.

This time her response was immediate, wrapping her arms tightly around me and giving my body a little squeeze. I hid my goofy grin in her shoulder.

"All set Alice?" Esme's voice interrupted from downstairs and a little growl ripped from my lips. Why must she interrupt my time with Bella. I know she's excited, but really?

With a sigh I pulled away, noticing Bella's concerned expression. I forced a smile onto my face to ease her worry, all the while cursing my mother in my head.

"Come on." I said, pulling on her hand and leading her out of our bedroom. It was only the three of us in the house, and I hoped that would mean she wouldn't feel the need to change into her cat form.

It appeared this would be the case as she only hesitated briefly at the top of the steps, taking a few large breaths to check for other scents, before finally following me down.

When we reached the classroom Esme had set up, she had already written the alphabet up on the whiteboard with different colored markers, looking very pleased.

"Good Morning Bella." She said smiling at the shy girl who held my hand tightly as she shifted just the slightest bit behind me. I led her to the desk in the middle of the room and had her sit, pulling up another chair so I could be beside her, since it was pretty obvious my leaving would be a deal breaker for Bella.

The next hour proved to me that I could never be a teacher. I tried to stay involved as Esme patiently went through each letter of the alphabet, making the appropriate sounds. Bella was listening, but didn't seem any more excited about this lesson than I was. In fact her eyes had taken on a kind of glazed look and I couldn't help the tiny giggle that escaped me. The sound made Bella turn in my direction, her gaze back to that piercing green fire I loved, as she regarded me curiously.

"Alice, stop distracting her. She's trying to learn." Esme scolded lightly.

"Sorry." I muttered, casting my eyes down, but only to keep from seeing Bella's expression and laughing again. Esme sighed, putting down the pointer in her hand and rummaging in a drawer next to her.

"I suppose she might need a break anyway." She said, placing a coloring book on the desk in front of Bella with a few crayons. I rolled my eyes.

Esme moved back to the front to look over some books while Bella grabbed a crayon in her hand, bringing it up in front of her face and peering at it. I knew what was coming before she even made the movement, and stilled her hand from bringing the colored wax to her mouth. Holding her irritated gaze, I gently lowered her hand to the paper and showed her its proper use, drawing a red line down the page.

I let go of her hand and she looked between me and the coloring book for a second before drawing another line. That was the end of coloring, it seemed, as she dropped the crayon and stared at me. I hadn't realized until now that the look of 'Are you serious?' was universal, but apparently it was because that's exactly how Bella was regarding me right now.

"Liss." I laughed at her obvious annoyance, raising from my seat with Bella following my lead.

"Where are you going?" Esme asked alarmed.

"Bella needs a break." I told her, pulling on Bella's hand.

"Alice, she just started, I…" My growl cut her off.

"_I_ decide what's best for Bella." I hissed, glaring at my mother. She was pushing my beast's buttons, and I couldn't help snapping at her.

"Alice…" Esme said softly, holding her hands up in front of her and taking a couple steps back. "I'm only trying to help. Bella needs to be able to communicate...so we can understand her." She pleaded.

"_I_ understand her. _You_ don't need to." A hiss from beside me accompanied my growled words and I looked over to see Bella also glaring at my mother. Her distress snapped me out of my primal state and I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into my side. "It's okay Bella." I soothed, my fingers rubbing circles into her hip. I took a deep breath trying to calm my frayed nerves.

"Esme, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I know you're just trying to help, but Bella isn't a child. I mean, coloring books?" I asked sneering at the book I held up in my hand with an outline of a puppy on it.

"I thought they would help build her creativity." Esme said frowning at the discarded object.

"She is creative. Yesterday she made me a bracelet out of wildflowers." Esme continued to frown at me. "She's not stupid!" I reiterated, the growl slipping back into my voice, grip tightening on Bella's waist.

"Of course she isn't! I would never suggest that she was!" Esme said loudly, her own anger starting to show. Bella had a constant growl in her throat now, and my beast was clawing at its cage.

"I think we all need a few moments to calm down." I finally got out through clenched teeth before quickly shuffling Bella out of the room and into the backyard. I knew she felt more comfortable outside, so I hoped it would soothe her, which would in turn soothe me.

Once we were away from the tension, I flopped down onto a lounge chair while Bella made her way out to the grass. She was silent, but I could see the frustration in the way she ripped up dandelions and tore them apart. She was so beautiful, even in this state. Her lightly tanned skin was luminescent, showing the outline of well-toned muscle. I followed the line of her long gorgeous legs down to the adorable bare feet that stomped about. Even clean and partially clothed, Bella still looked indescribably feral to me with her wild and flowing hair blowing around in the wind. Her posture gave her a half crouched look as she prowled the yard. Her glowing green eyes would occasionally dart over to me, making sure I was still there.

I was surprised out of my Bella watching by the light purr I started to produce unconsciously. As soon as I realized it was me making the sound, I immediately stopped, standing and moving to the edge of our porch. I decided this was a good time to reinforce the lesson I'd taught Bella earlier.

"Bella." I called, causing her to stop her random pacing and swiftly move to stand in front of me. I held my arms out in a welcoming gesture, a smile on my face. "Hug." I said, giggling at the grin that broke across Bella's face. A moment later she had me circled in her arms and I copied her. My beast took comfort from her warmth, and before I knew it I was purring again, only this time, I was joined by Bella's deeper purr.

I could feel both our bodies relaxing, tension easing from our arms and shoulders. It was peaceful, the only sound being birds singing off in the woods. Unfortunately, our moment of bliss was short lived.

"HA! I SAW THE CAT GIRL!" Emmett's voice rang out across the yard.

A fierce snarl tore from my lips as the interruption startled my beast. It's aggravation too much for me to quell at the moment. With no thought to what the man at the corner of the house meant to me, I lunged, rapidly throwing punches wherever I found open flesh.

"Woah, woah. Alice. Calm down. It was just a joke." Emmett said, the fear evident in his voice as he tried to block my blows. My mind was paralyzed by rage. I couldn't stop myself if I wanted to, and I didn't.

"WHAT THE FUCK ALICE!" I high-pitched voice screamed at me, shoving me to the side. I turned to see Rosalie's angered face. Her body was coiled and ready for a fight. I was eager to provide one. Charging at her, I grabbed her blonde hair, yanking her head back while landing a solid boob shot. It was a dirty move, but none of the Cullen women were known for fighting fair. Before Rosalie could respond, strong arms wrapped around me, pinning my own arms to my side.

"What the hell?" Emmett's voice spoke behind me as I struggled in his grip. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of white and suddenly I was free. I turned back to Rosalie, but she had darted over to try and stop Bella from clawing her husband's face off. I tackled her half way to my lion's fight, rolling us across the ground while we both attempted to gain the upper hand.

"STOP! STOP!" Edward's voice screeched over our tussles. I felt hands trying to break Rosalie and I apart, but we both shoved them away. There were three voices now, and this time my flailing body was ripped away from Rosalie. I snapped at the hands holding me, but was restrained. A face swam into my focus and I recognized Esme.

"Alice! Honey! Calm down! Come back to us!" She pleaded, her face full of worry. I'm sure my eyes were a soulless black as I continued to snarl at her, wrenching my arms free and reaching to claw out her eyes.

New hands joined the effort to restrain me, as Esme leapt backwards out of the way.

"Alice! Stop!" Carlisle's voice demanded from behind me. Despite not knowing where my mate was or if she was safe, I couldn't help reacting just slightly to the head of my coven's command. He was my elder and leader, and by nature, I felt compelled to follow him, but even that authority didn't overshadow the need to protect my mate. However, it did allow me just enough control to harness in my anger. I continued to growl, but stopped struggling.

"Mate." I snarled, head whipping around, searching for Bella.

"She's okay, Alice." Carlisle said turning me around to see Bella locked in a choke hold. Emmett's arms had her neck in a vice grip, while his legs wrapped around her middle halting her movement. The sight of her almost set me off again, if it weren't for Edward's assurance.

"He's not hurting her, just restraining her until you are calm."

"She'll attack us if she thinks you're in danger. Go to her." Carlisle said, finally releasing his hold. I ran from his arms, towards Bella as Emmett also let her go. We were both growling loudly, but the anger would have to wait for a moment. I needed to make sure my mate was okay. My hands checked every inch of her, searching for any injuries. At the same time, Bella was sniffing me, likely for the same reason. When our inspections were complete I turned back to my adversaries to find only Carlisle left, a grim look on his face.

"We need to have a family meeting." He stated before turning and going inside. I looked back at Bella with a sigh, my adrenaline finally starting to recede.

Inappropriately, the only thought I had as Bella and I entered the house was, 'I hope she doesn't start associating our hugs with interruptions and snarling.'

**A/N I know it's short. Sorry.**


	5. Baby steps

Chapter 4

As Bella and I entered the living room together, I shook my head. It had never occurred to me before just how out of touch with their vampire sides my family was. They had to be clueless, if they thought sitting all together on one side of the room and leaving Bella and I to sit alone across from them all wouldn't be threatening. Never the less, I trudged over to the open couch, sitting to one side so Bella would have room to lay next to me, her furry head in my lap. My hands automatically began to tread a course through her downy fur, occasionally scratching behind an ear.

Despite his having called this meeting, Carlisle seemed to be miles away in his thoughts, not even turning to greet Bella and I. Esme had looked up briefly when we entered, but continued to fuss over Edward, whose hands had apparently been scratched by either Rosalie or myself. Speaking of my sister, she seemed to be the only one paying us any attention. The glare she was shooting at Bella set me on edge, but I tried not to tense up and disturb Bella who, for the moment, was quietly and calmly watching my family. I had a suspicion that Emmett's arms around Rose's waist were the only things keeping her from tearing into us again. I made a mental note to brush up on my fighting skills. I needed to be able to protect Bella, because, God love her, my girl isn't a fighter. I smiled down at the cat in my lap, rubbing her head affectionately. For all her muscles and roaring, she's really just a biggie sweetie.

It had only been a few seconds since we entered, but it seemed like much longer in the silence. I was almost grateful to Rosalie for breaking it. Almost.

"Get your filthy pet off the furniture!" She sneered.

"Rosalie." Carlisle interrupted sternly before I could respond.

"What? That _thing_ attacked my mate!" Rose screamed, struggling a little harder in Emmett's hold. I guess I was wrong. At least one of my family members is in touch with their instincts. Now I kind of wish she wasn't.

"She didn't…" Esme started to chime in, but Rose interrupted again.

"I don't care! I want her gone!"

A hiss ripped from my throat as I stood abruptly, startling Bella, who drew back in surprise.

"_Both of you_, calm down." Carlisle mediated, standing between Rose and I.

"I won't give her up!" I screamed, crouching and preparing to fight anyone who tried to separate us.

"We would never ask you to do that, Alice." Carlisle placated, urging me to calm down until I finally relented, sitting back down next to a highly alert Bella. She let her two front paws rest on my thigh, while her head brushed my arm as she stared around at my family cautiously. The second of relative peace was broken by Rose's shrill cry.

"What are you talking about?" Everyone winced at the pitch, turning to face my irate sister. "That animal can't stay here! It tried to kill Emmett!" Said husband scoffed.

"Babe, _please_! That kitten couldn't kill me! I had it in a hold in less than a minute!" He actually sounded offended by her comment. And if Bella knew what he'd said, _she'd_ probably be highly offended by _his_ comment…even if it is true.

"Besides, the fight wasn't Bella's fault." Edward chimed in quietly from Esme's side where she continued to coddle him against his protests.

"You're right. It was Emmett's!" I shouted, childishly pointing at my brother, who just gaped at me, almost releasing a snarling Rosalie in his surprise.

"What?" He exclaimed loudly.

"That's right! If you hadn't snuck up on Bella and I, this wouldn't have happened."

"What? But…"

"She's actually correct, Emmett." Carlisle pronounced, silencing his son, but redirecting Rosalie's fiery glare onto himself. "Mates are extremely territorial and protective. Particularly, newly mated pairs. You should have known better than to surprise them that way."

I sat back, crossing my arms and smiling smugly at my married siblings.

"That's not to say you're off the hook, Alice." Esme quickly put in, and I turned to her, narrowing my eyes.

"Your mother's right, Alice. You're behavior recently, and especially today, is worrying." Carlisle said, unconsciously easing his way between Esme and I. As much as he repressed it, his vampire urges weren't completely gone either.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lied, looking down at Bella, who had laid her head back down, over her paws.

"Yes, you do." Edward muttered, quickly looking away when I growled at him.

"Get the fuck out of my head Edward!"

"Language, Alice!" Esme gasped.

"I asked him to check on you." Carlisle admitted. He had a gift for getting people to redirect their glares.

"You had NO right…"

"Alice! Stop, and just listen for a moment. This is serious."

"Yeah! A serious invasion of my privacy!"

"Alice, your behavior…" Esme started to interrupt and I shot out of my seat to face her, pointing a finger threateningly.

"You are on thin ice with me already!" I snarled.

"HEY!" Carlisle yelled, stepping into my space with an authority he rarely used. Looking down into my pitch black eyes, he met my glare with one of his own. "You do NOT speak to your mother that way. SIT DOWN!" He growled, catching me so much by surprise that I followed his demand without a thought.

Once I had retaken my seat, Carlisle came out of the state he'd been in, seemingly shocked at his behavior as he raked a hand through his hair, pacing behind the coffee table.

"This is all her stupid cat's fault. She's making us all crazy! She corrupted Alice and now it's infecting Carlisle as well!" Rose scowled, watching the paternal blonde walk back and forth in front of her.

"Rose…" Esme warned, but was interrupted by her own husband.

"No, she may be right." Carlisle said, still pacing, Esme watching worriedly. "I mean look at my reaction just now. Or better yet, think about how Alice has been acting ever since Bella arrived."

"Don't you DARE blame my Bella!" I growled, but Carlisle didn't seem to hear my words. In fact, he didn't even seem to be speaking to us anymore, rather just thinking out loud.

"Territorial…expected…the behavior…so feral…completely natural, but…No, that can't be…maybe…hmm…"

"Carlisle." Esme finally interrupted, standing to pull on her husband's hand. "What are you trying to say, exactly?"

"Well it's rather ironic really. Simply put, we brought Bella here to assimilate into normal human culture and experience, but without even trying, she's instead made us wilder. A reverse domestication process…subconscious…" Carlisle trailed back into his mutterings as the rest of the family turned to Bella and I.

"You see? I told you! That cat has to go!"

"She's my mate!"

"She's nothing but a pain in the ass."

"If she goes, I go!" I yelled, finally silencing everyone. Even Carlisle stopped.

"What?" Emmett asked, surprised as the rest.

"You heard me."

"You'd give up your _family, _the people you lived with for almost a century, for some ridiculous cat girl, who can't even speak? Who you've only known for three days?" Rosalie hissed.

"Yes. I love her." I stated, leaving no doubt to the truth of the words.

"Impossible!" Rose spat, looking at Bella with disgust. I growled, covering Bella protectively, as best I could. "Even if you did love her, she couldn't love you!" My sister sneered. "She wouldn't know how!" I refused to show any reaction to her words, despite their hitting a nerve. Could Bella _understand_ love? Not just mating, but _love_?

My heart told me love was an emotion, a higher form that didn't need any knowledge of language to understand and feel, but there still remained that inkling in the back of my mind. Could I ever be sure that what she felt was more than biological? All her actions told me she cared about me, but were they just normal mating behavior in her mind. In the wild, lions nuzzle and act affectionately at times, but that doesn't mean the male lion _loves_ any of the lionesses he breeds with.

I looked down at Bella, falling into the expressive green eyes that watched me worriedly. It was as if she could feel my doubts and it was causing her pain.

"Perhaps it would be best for the family to go away for a while?" Carlisle suggested, finally coming out of his thoughts.

"WHAT? NO! Make the cat leave! I'm NOT moving again!" Rosalie snarled, glaring hatefully at Bella and I.

"Not a move, Rosalie, just a break, a vacation. I think we all need a little time to get ourselves back to a place of control. Unfortunately, I don't think that can happen with Bella around. She brings out our monsters too easily."

"Right, so make her leave." Rose muttered, but Carlisle ignored her, turning to face Bella and I.

"Alice, you need to find some sort of balance. Before Bella arrived, you were one of the best in the family at controlling your nature and thirst. I'm concerned that this lapse in control will make it more difficult for you to stick to our diet when you return to school. Strong emotions run a higher risk of causing a relapse. Just keep this in mind." He said, giving me a nod before turning to Edward and Esme.

"Edward, you may either go to Denali, or come with Esme and I."

"I'll go visit our cousins." Edward said, his face showing distaste at the idea of going on some type of honeymoon with his parents.

"That's fine. Esme and I will go to her island?" Carlisle said, looking to Esme for confirmation. When she nodded he turned to Rosalie and Emmett.

"I still don't see why we need to leave when it's the cat that's causing the problem." Rosalie huffed, crossing her arms.

"Because I am hoping that being in the house unthreatened will allow Bella time to acclimate to this environment and encourage her human side a bit more. The more she learns and integrates into civilization, the easier it will be for us to remain in control of our vampire instincts."

I listened to all of this quietly, but something about what Carlisle said irked me. I wanted Bella to be more comfortable as a human, and learn how to function outside the forest, but I didn't want her to become just another drone of society! I didn't want to lose my wild woman completely! But was it _possible_ to have both?

"When are you planning to leave?" I asked, once Emmett had finally convinced his wife a trip to Europe wouldn't be so bad.

"Hmm, I'll have to let the hospital know, but I think the sooner the better. We'll shoot for tomorrow evening." Carlisle announced, and the so called 'family meeting' broke up as everyone went to make travel plans and pack.

That left Bella and I alone on the couch. She was looking up at me with her big green eyes swirling in confusion.

"Don't worry Bella. You may not understand, but you'll like this." I promised her, placing a kiss to the top of her head and stroking the fur at the back of her neck. "Now, let's try out your new bathroom again." I grinned, leading Bella upstairs where I'd set up the grass mat on my balcony. So far, she'd been frustratingly unreceptive.

It was actually nearly three days later before the last of my family left. Edward couldn't get a plane to Alaska until then, and _Esme_ would never let him run up there by himself. I swear, sometimes she treats that boy like he's four instead of fourteen, or the hundred and four he is in reality.

I'm not sure what it was exactly, but apparently my beast was still angry with Esme, even though I'd forgiven her. Ever since the other day when she taught Bella, it seemed everything she did bothered me to no end. It was unfair really, but I couldn't help it.

But finally, the day had come when everyone was finally leaving. _Thank God!_ I loved my family, but they were _all_ getting on my last nerve, at this point.

Carlisle, with his extra time off, had somehow managed to teach Bella how to ask what something was, even with her never changing out of cat form in his presence. So I had the wonderful task of answering every time Bella said, 'was that?' Damn it Carlisle! On top of which Esme had stuck labels on seemingly everything in the house, so Bella could 'learn to recognize the word for the object,' she explained.

Speaking of my wild woman…

"Bella?" I called, after shutting the front door behind the last of my family members. It was odd for her not to be right beside me. I immediately started to worry she might have left.

"BELLA?" I called again, this time more panicked. It was unnecessary though, as almost immediately a white lion lazily made its way to the top of the stairs, most likely from my room. After a brief inspection of the room, Bella changed, swaying her hips with a feline grace as she made her way down the stairs bare as ever. At this point, I'd finally gotten used to Bella's nakedness. That's not to say I take the view for granted now, I've just accepted that Bella prefers and feels more comfortable without clothes. So I stopped trying to get her to wear them when we're alone. It hasn't exactly been a hardship for me to see a naked Bella prancing around, nor has it been an issue of other people seeing her. Bella won't even stay human for Esme anymore. Apparently, my mother lost that trust. It was probably my fault, but I assuaged that guilt by blaming it on my instincts.

"Liss?" Bella asked, following it with a wide yawn. "Was that?" She asked curiously, pointing to her mouth.

"Yawn." I answered, rolling my eyes, as I took her hand and brought her into the kitchen. She was always hungry after her cat naps in the afternoon. I grabbed a pre-formed burger patty from the fridge and found the correct instructions in the handmade book Esme had put together for me (another reason for me to feel guilty). I followed the page to the letter, and a few minutes later I had a fairly large rare burger on a plate and a drooling nude woman eyeing it hungrily. I was still trying to expand her taste buds a little, so I added a slice of tomato and a pickle to the top of the patty and placed it in front of her on the table. As I had come to expect, Bella shoved the toppings off to the side and grabbed a fist full of the still slightly bloody meat.

"Bella." I warned, staring pointedly at the vegetables she'd shoved aside. She glared at them, her nose scrunching with disgust, and I had to agree. They smelled terrible to me, but I knew they were good for her. Besides, she needed more variety in her diet than meat and berries. So far, I'd been able to add apples and carrots into the mix. Grains were completely out. She refused to even try most of them. She didn't like eggs, onions, celery, or most cheeses. However, she LOVED peanut butter. She'd put it on damn near everything if I let her. Through the idiocy of Emmett, we also discovered that Bella is allergic to chocolate. It was lucky Carlisle had a shot to counteract the swelling in her throat after my idiot of a brother tried to make friends with Bella by offering her a candy bar. Now she distrusts him even more. I felt a little bad about that actually. He wasn't trying to hurt her, but the fact that he did put his name a little higher on my shit list. Also on that list were ticks, after I'd found one in Bella's fur yesterday. How DARE that little bug try and steal my mate's life source. If anyone would taste Bella's blood it would be ME and me ALONE. I had to reel myself in after that one. The beast didn't even want to let Bella out of the house anymore, for fear she'd acquire another of these heartless creatures, but I knew that would be worse than death for her. She lived to be outside. She was a free spirit in that way.

A half eaten piece of tomato that was spat onto the counter drew me back from my thoughts and I looked at Bella, who was regarding me angrily with her tongue sticking out. I guess she blamed me for the bad taste in her mouth. Rolling my eyes at her, I pushed her mug of water towards her and she chugged it down. Despite the failed attempt with the tomato, once she'd finished her burger, I insisted she try the pickle, and I'm glad I did. It turned out to be one more thing I could put on the 'Bella will eat' list. While I was washing the plate at the sink in the kitchen island, Bella pointed to the label in the middle of the granite counter top.

"Counter." I read for her, being sure to enunciate each sound carefully. It was becoming second nature to me now. I saw her lips moving, trying it out, but no sound was actually produced. She slapped her hand on to the granite twice, pointing again to the label and I nodded. "Yes Bella. Counter." I said again, gesturing to the whole island. I sighed, drying the plates and putting them up in the cupboard.

"Liss?" Bella asked, hopping off her stool and coming to my side. She peered into my face worried about something, probably my expression. Personal space was still something we were working on. Not so much for my benefit, but other people. I took a step back, allowing some room between us as Bella continued scrutinizing my face. "Sa-duh?" She asked, using one of her new words. I smiled, shaking my head.

"No Bella. I'm not sad." The truth was, I was wistful. I was looking forward to a time when things could just be easy with Bella, with everyone. I truly loved Bella, but I would never claim to be a patient person. I wished she could just _understand_. I wish she knew what I meant when I said I _love_ her.

She didn't look convinced despite my attempt at a genuine smile. Instead, she opened her arms. "Ha-guh." She more or less demanded, and I really did smile this time. She'd become quite fond of this word/action. I was all too pleased to indulge her.

Wrapping my arms around her, I let her pull me into her chest, squeezing gently. As she pulled away, I reached up on my toes to peck her cheek again before finally stepping back. As in the clearing, Bella blushed, looking at me in amazement.

"Liss?"

"Kiss, Bella. Kiss." I said, pulling her hand up to my lips and kissing her palm.

"K-Kee-sss."

"Almost honey. Kiss." I said again, waiting for her to practice forming her mouth correctly.

"Ki-hiss."

"Good Bella. Kiss." I said, happily performing the example on her hand again.

She watched, enraptured by the display, and apparently eager to try it herself. She took my hand as I had done to her and pressed it against her relaxed mouth. I giggled, taking her hand back.

"You forgot to pucker up, like this Bella." I said, smooching the air at her before dipping my head and doing the same to her hand. She was beaming as we swapped again.

Puckering her lips into an adorable pout, she once again pressed them against the back of my hand. She lingered for a moment before pulling back, a big smile still on her face and I couldn't help laughing. She'd gotten the basic idea down, but it wasn't quite right. It was like pushing two dolls' faces together and calling that a kiss.

"Bella come here." I said, hopping up onto the counter and pulling her into place between my open legs. Now that we were at equal height, it would be easier. Pulling her face towards mine, I watched her eyes for any unease, but found only excitement and curiosity. So leaning forward I pressed my lips against her cheek, instead of pulling back, I moved to the corner of her mouth, leaving another kiss, this time letting my tongue sneak out for just a quick taste before pulling back and examining Bella's expression.

Awe didn't seem quite substantial enough to really describe how she was looking at me, and I actually felt like I could blush. "Lisssss." She breathed, staring at me like I was the sun.

Then without warning she leaned in and placed a kiss to my cheek. It was sloppy and wet, but it was definitely a kiss.

"Good Bella. Good Kiss." I said quietly, easily losing myself in two green hypnotizing swirls. I only questioned for a moment whether my next move was a good idea, but in the end, I went on an impulse. Sneaking my hands up Bella's neck and into her hair, I pulled her to me once more, this time landing my lips directly on hers, moving them slowly against her mouth, and hoping I wasn't freaking her out.

At first, Bella didn't seem to know what to do, but after a few moments, she was matching my movements, mimicking me in this, to learn, just as she did with everything else. In this case it worked out perfectly. I gasped when she was the one to first quest further into my mouth with her tongue. Although, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, she did have a tendency to want to explore everything by taste.

Bella picked up this lesson far quicker than any of the others. Although the kiss wasn't burning with passion and lust, it was soft and tender and perfect for Bella's first time.

"Ki-hiss?" Bella asked when I pulled away, bringing her fingers up to her lips and touching them gently. I shook my head, breathing heavier despite not needing to.

"No, Bella. That's a…umm…" I didn't want her to think that was just a regular thing to do. If she started kissing other people like that, the homicide rate in our area would most certainly increase. She tilted her head to the side, waiting for my word intently. "It's an Alice kiss." I finally offered, shrugging, unable to come up with anything better.

"Liss ki-hiss?" She questioned, and I nodded.

"Yes. Sure. It's a Liss kiss. Only for Liss." I said, pointing to myself. Moving to hop off the counter. Bella looked at me almost skeptically for a moment, but I convinced myself I was seeing things. Then waving a hand away from her side, she wandered back out to the living room.

I watched her go, torn as to how I felt about it. In some ways I was glad she was feeling more comfortable here and moved around on her own, but I missed the Bella who was glued to my side. I missed the Bella who needed me.

Oh dear. What a hypocrite I've become. One minute I want Bella to be able to speak perfect English and understand everything, and the next I want my lovable mute back who was always snuggled into my side.

"Liss? Was that?" Bella asked, coming back into the room with a piece of paper in her hand, the tape still connected to it. It was obviously one of Esme's labels she took off of something. Taking the piece of paper from her, I looked down to examine it and gasped, slamming it face down on the counter.

"Damn it Emmett!" I growled.

"Liss?" Bella asked again, now concerned by my reaction. What could I tell her? Emmett apparently thought it would be funny to draw two stick figures performing an act which would be obvious to anyone, but Bella. Beneath the perverted drawing in bold letters he wrote 'cunnilingus.'

He was SO dead when I got my hands on him. How the hell does he even know that word?

"Drawing, Bella." I finally mumbled, knowing she wouldn't know any different, and it wasn't exactly a lie. There was a drawing on it, even if it was perverse. "It's a drawing."

With that I proceeded to tear the paper into shreds and threw them in the garbage.

"Come on Bella. Let's go draw something ourselves." I said, smiling as I took her hand and led her back up to my room. She was fond of drawing, usually using my charcoal sticks, but sometimes she would use a pencil, now that she'd gotten use to it. Her art was a little more abstract than mine, but it was still beautiful. I had no doubt that if she had access to more things besides sticks and dirt or rocks, she'd be an even better artist. The best part about drawing was that it was something we both enjoyed and understood. You didn't need language to understand art.

Once Bella saw me pull out her designated sketch book and a charcoal stick, her eyes lit up and she eagerly took them from my hands, finding what had become her usual spot at the bottom of the stairs to my platform level. I normally worked at my desk, but if I was drawing with Bella, I laid on my stomach at the top of the stairs, doodling whatever came to mind.

Getting lost in my own work, I was surprised to look up and see Bella's supplies abandoned. I realized the air I felt wasn't coming from the vent, but was actually a draft from my balcony door and turned to peer out the glass. Bella was standing to the side of her mat, arms folded on the railing as she looked off into the woods. I smiled, taking in her silhouette in the waning light of sunset. Her long hair barely moved in the gentle breeze. I considered that a haircut may be needed in the future, being that her beautiful brown locks covered most of her backside. It must be incredibly heavy and hard to manage.

Standing, I silently made my way outside, slipping an arm around her waist and taking the place beside her at the railing. A soft purr vibrated from Bella's chest, as she briefly looked down at me before returning her gaze to the distant trees.

I watched her frowning slightly. Did she not like living here? Was she not happy? An idea struck me, and I eased away from her before darting into my closet and throwing on some shorts and a cute tank top. Rushing back out to Bella, I grabbed her hand, beaming up at her.

"Come on Bella. I think you need a camping trip." I said, hopping up onto the railing and turning to make sure Bella got the idea. Once she joined me, I jumped down, landing in a perfect crouch on the grass. Bella dropped down gingerly right beside me, turning to see what I would do next. Taking her hand, I started walking into the forest. I thought the clearing she had shown me would be a perfect spot for our first camping trip together.

I grinned cheekily as I thought about how this was exactly the opposite of Carlisle's intention of our time alone. Oh well.

Soon we broke through the trees, frolicking into the long grass and wildflowers. Bella gave a throaty laugh as I twirled around the space, arms held out. It was definitely freeing. I could understand why Bella enjoyed being out in wilderness. I agree that nature has a beauty that can't be replicated, but I still enjoy some of the more material things in life. I don't think that will ever change. It's what I know, just as this simple, feral way of living is what Bella knows.

I nodded to myself. I would make these camping trips a regular occurrence for us. It wasn't fair to ask Bella to accept my way of life without giving hers a shot also, at least part of the time. With my new philosophy in mind, I stopped twirling with a new determination. Locking eyes with Bella, who had sat down, trailing her fingers lightly over the blades of grass, I moved my hands to the hem of my shirt, steeling my courage before ripping the piece of clothing over my head. I figured, when in Rome…

This is how Bella lived in the wild, and wanted to get the full experience. My bra, shorts, and panties swiftly followed, making a neat pile on the ground.

I shuffled my feat, staring at the ground. It felt odd being so exposed out in the open, and I couldn't help being a bit bashful. A warm hand wormed its way into mine, clasping our fingers and finally causing me to look up. The sparkling green eyes that greeted me immediately set my worries at ease, and I returned Bella's genuinely happy grin. Her eyes took a slow trip down my body and back up, appreciating her new view, but her gaze didn't hold any real lust. I didn't know exactly how I felt about that, but I suppose for her, being naked wasn't an indication or catalyst for sex. It begged the question in my mind, what would be? Now that we'd overcome nudity, hugging, and kisses? If I did want to get down and dirty with her…in the future, would she know?

"Liss, come." Bella stated innocently, tugging me down into the grass as I giggled at her choice of phrase. Bella looked at me in confusion, but apparently decided not to ask and instead, allowed me to rest my head on her stomach as we laid perpendicularly under the darkening sky. I sighed happily into the night and released a light purr to match Bella's. I could definitely see this becoming a regular thing for us.

**A/N So I didn't think Bella would immediately recognize a kiss on the lips as anything sexual, don't know if you agree, but...whatever. I'm pretty happy with this chapter, which is a rarity for me, so hopefully some of you will agree. **


	6. Positive Reenforcement

Chapter 5

I snuggled closer to Bella as the sun began to peek over the trees. I was glad her body ran a little warm, so she didn't get cold cuddling with me. I smiled happily down at my still sleeping girl, soft purring snores coming through her lips even in this form. She was so sweet and innocent looking in her sleep, completely relaxed in my arms.

The Dewey grass around us had dampened both our bodies as we moved in the night. I was constantly adjusting to keep Bella comfortable. She squirmed often in her sleep, usually rolling on top of me, or pulling me over her, but her body never pulled away from mine and I was rejoicing in the feel of our bare bodies moving together. Watching Bella sleep and holding her close to me was one of the few times I felt no need to hurry. There wasn't an ounce of impatience in me. I could stay like this for days, happily. In fact, I was almost saddened when blurry green eyes finally opened to take me in. A soft smile, much the same as she held a few mornings ago when she licked me broke across her face and she nuzzled her head against my cheek, purring happily.

"Good morning, Bella." I whispered into her wild hair, giving her waist a squeeze.

"Liss." She murmured against my neck sleepily and I giggled at her adorable behavior. Suddenly she sat up, adjusting so her body knelt on the ground, bending forward with her arms stretched out along the grass and her back arched. It was just how she stretched in cat form, but unlike that fur covered body, this one was bare to my eyes and displaying a rather private part to me unapologetically. I gulped the venom gathering in my mouth and quickly sat up as well, moving around so I was across from her when she finally drew back into a comfortable sitting position.

Before either of us could speak, Bella's stomach growled loudly, attracting our attention. She brought her hands to the protesting part of her, looking back up at me. "Food?" She asked, with the best pronunciation I'd heard to date.

"Please." I responded, trying to add a bit of manners to her request. She tilted her head regarding me oddly before repeating her previous question.

"Food?" She was looking at me like I was the one confused.

"Yes Bella." I agreed. "But it's food, _please_." She just stared at me frowning. Apparently lessons this early in the morning when she was hungry weren't ideal. With my patience refreshed from a night of cuddling, I decided not to give up. Taking her hand in mine, I brought them both to her chest, looking at her meaningfully. "Food please?" I asked in her place before moving both our hands back to my chest and answering, "Yes Bella." Back to her chest I finished, "Thank you."

"Letting our hands fall between us on the grass I watched her face carefully to see if she'd understood. Her brow furrowed as she stared down at our hands, but finally I saw her mouth open slightly and close again.

The fish impersonation happened once more before she finally uttered the words I'd hoped for. "Food, Pliss?" She asked, one eyebrow slightly raised. I beamed and couldn't hold back my excitement as I tackled her to the ground in a fierce hug.

"YES! Bella! That was so good!" I squealed excitedly, giving her a kiss on the cheek in my delight. Bella's arms had wrapped around my back as she lay prone beneath me in the grass. She looked up, her green eyes glowing happily as a big feral grin split her face.

I squeaked as she suddenly rolled us, so that now she was on top, staring down at me mischievously. "What?" I asked hesitantly.

She brought one finger to her lips, tapping them twice before staring down at me with demanding eyes. "Liss kiss."

My own eyes widened in surprise at her command, but I pushed the shock away, leaning up and brushing my lips lightly against hers, just enough pressure for it to count. Pulling back I saw Bella's eyes were closed, her shy smile back in place and I grinned.

"Okay Bella, time for food." I said once the green orbs found mine again. Slipping from beneath her, I pulled us both up and moved over to put my clothes back on.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long to make it back to the house, since we decided to run. Once inside, I immediately found Esme's instructions and started making a fruit salad for Bella, slapping away her hands playfully when she tried to pilfer strawberries from the cutting board.<p>

I took a seat on the stool next to her while she tore through the bowl of berries and cantaloupe. She acted as if she hadn't eaten in days. When she finally finished, she turned in her seat and smiled, slapping a hand on the surface between us and slowly said, "cow-ter."

I beamed nodding at her success. "Good Bella!" I praised.

She smiled at me, tapping her lips with a finger again. I gasped quietly realizing what she wanted. She was instituting her own reward plan. That sly girl. Giving her a coquettish smile I shook my head. "Nope, you already knew that one. You have to learn something new if you want a liss kiss." I teased, hopping off the stool and making my way into the living room. Bella followed right behind me like a puppy, frowning at her failed attempt. I didn't last long against her pout and ended up helping her out. "Okay Bella." I said, calling her attention. I took a magazine from the side table and opened it to a page with pictures of clothing and accessories that could make several outfits. Pointing to a cute red dress, I showed Bella. "Red."

She looked down at the picture, then back up at me, her face scrunched as it always is when she's concentrating. "Red." She finally said, and I nodded.

Zipping into the kitchen, I grabbed one of the uncut strawberries from earlier and brought it back out to her, pointing to it, "red." I said again. This time she shook her head.

"Bree." She countered stubbornly, and I smiled. Berry was still a work in progress, but at least she remembered the correct word for it.

"Red Berry." I told her, still pointing to the strawberry in my hand before letting her stuff it in her mouth happily. I pulled another magazine towards us, this one with the quintessential red barn on the cover. "Red." I repeated again. As Bella eagerly chewed on the berry watching. Catching her eye, I silently told her to wait and sprinted to the kitchen and back with my test. Putting down a plate with some mustard, ketchup and relish on it separately, I looked to Bella. "Where's red?" I asked her seriously, gesturing towards the plate on the coffee table. Swallowing the last of her fruit snack, she glanced down at the table.

I saw her regard the condiments for a moment before her eyes moved back to the barn magazine. After another minute of contemplation she stuck her finger into the ketchup saying, "red." I don't think the smile on my face could have been any bigger. Lunging forward, I pressed my lips to hers in a far more intimate kiss than this mornings'. When I finally pulled back from the kiss, I noticed the slimy finger on my bare back above my tank top and cringed. Ugh, ketchup.

"Shower time, Bella." I said, standing up and staring down at her expectantly, hands on my hips. It had only taken me a few baths to realize, Bella didn't care for them, even if I was able to get her to relax. She preferred the gentle spray of the shower. I guess it felt like rain to her. Given our shower head was made to feel that way, it shouldn't be so surprising. Now she almost looked forward to the regular hygiene regiment. I laughed when she stood from her seat, still in a bit of a daze and quickly took to the stairs, me on her heels.

* * *

><p>The next few days seemed to pass by quickly and before I knew it, my family was scheduled to be home in less than a week. It seems the new reward system had made for an incredibly motivated Bella. She was constantly looking for a new word to learn, and I was hardly going to deter her efforts. Just like her vocabulary, her kisses were also improving, and I found myself offering up new words just to get a taste of her lips again.<p>

Now that we'd fallen into a comfortable routine, it would be difficult when my family returned, though despite loving my time alone with Bella, I did miss my family…a little. The guilt from yelling at them and attacking Rosalie and Emmett was finally sinking in, particularly when Bella was asleep and I was left alone with my thoughts. It was true what I had said before. I would leave my family for Bella. Looking down at the girl who was sleeping peacefully in my arms, I smiled. She had come so far, but she still had that innocent wonderment intact. I loved that about her, she forced you to look at the things you did and saw everyday in a new light. It was refreshing. The way her eyes would light up, and she'd lean forward in excitement when we watched movies or television. She was fascinated by everything, and I was fascinated by her.

She snuggled closer into my chest, a deep purr escaping her lips as I ran my fingers through her now elbow length brown hair. I smiled at yesterday's memory. Once again, I had been the one to overreact.

Expecting her to have some deep inset attachment to her lifelong hair, I spent hours trying to prepare her for the haircut. Showing her pictures, videos…I even took the 1920s American Doll Emmett had gotten me one Christmas and cut it's hair for Bella to see. It seemed nothing I did fazed her, so taking my chances, I carefully brought the scissors to a few strands of her hair and snipped. Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited for an explosion that never came. In fact, I don't think she even noticed. She was watching some documentary on Animal Planet, completely oblivious to the plight of her brown locks. It wasn't until I had completely finished, and the show ended that she took note that her hair felt lighter. I watched nervously as she experimentally shook her head. Then turning, she tried to see for herself and ended up going in a circle like a dog chasing its tail. I couldn't even laugh at the sight, too anxious about the delayed reaction. Finally, I pulled some strands over her shoulder so she could see the length. Her fingers ran down the lock hair as it fell over her breasts and just above her stomach. Her silence was unnerving and I finally had to say something. "Bella?" I asked quietly. She looked over at me curiously, still playing with the new ends of her hair. "Good? Sad?" I asked trying to pull from words she knew well. Her hand lifted to my face, thumb brushing over my lips which were pressed tightly together in a frown.

"Liss sad?" She inquired, finally releasing her hair and turning all of her attention on to me. I couldn't help laughing a bit in relief, staring up at the ceiling briefly as venom tears turned my eyes glassy.

"I'm not sad Bella." I said, giving her a watery smile. Cupping her face in my own hands I stared at her intently, looking for any unhappiness she might be hiding. "Bella sad?" I asked her. She scrunched her nose adorably, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"No." She said bluntly, watching me even more curiously as I tilted my head back and laughed again. She never ceases to surprise and amaze me.

The same beautiful girl brought me back to the present when her legs nudged mine in their nightly dance. I wish I knew what she dreamed about. It seemed regardless of what form she slept in, she always ended up running. Chuckling quietly, I trapped her legs with my own and restrained, she quickly settled back down, nuzzling my chest, where her head had ended up resting. I sighed quietly, even if she didn't know it yet, Bella was mine. I planned to keep her for as long as she'd let me.

Those thoughts brought my family to mind again. If I wanted to keep both, I needed to somehow get Bella to trust them, or at least make her more comfortable in their presence. I wanted my girl to feel safe in our house even if I wasn't right next to her, though at the moment I couldn't think of a reason I wouldn't be. At times it seemed I was more dependent on Bella now than she was on me. She had no qualms about leaving my side if she needed to, at least while the house was empty, but I couldn't seem to detach _myself_ from _her._ It was extremely disconcerting. I'd always been the most independent of our family. It seemed to be a hold over from the human life I didn't remember, but I liked being able to take care of myself. It was comforting to know I didn't need anyone else to survive. But then Bella came around and now…well, everything's different. Without her doing anything but being herself, she's intertwined her life with mine.

"Liss." A sleepy voice breathed against my thinly covered breast causing a shiver to run down my spine. I peered down at the culprit only to find her still fast asleep. Was she dreaming about me? A grin split my face as I considered this. Was it a good dream? The tiny moan that followed my name answered that question and my body stiffened. This wasn't good.

I leaned my body back a bit from her, checking to make sure she was, in fact, still sleeping. Her eyes fluttered rapidly behind their lids, but still seemed unaware of the waking world. I inched my body just a bit further away, to help restrain the lust she was building within me. Without the support of my chest she adjusted onto her stomach and her hips pressed down into the mattress, causing a tiny gasp to escape her lips.

I squeezed my eyes shut, halting my breathing as her arousal began to waft up to my nose. Oh God, what this girl did to me. What the hell was she even dreaming about? Does she even know what sex means, outside of the animal kingdom? When her hips began making sharp thrusts into the mattress I was done for. Throwing myself out of the bed, I fled the room, sprinting down the stairs and out into the woods to hunt.

* * *

><p>An hour later, I came back to the house to find a very awake and unhappy Bella still in my bed. Based on the smell, she'd achieved more of a release than I had hunting. Despite that, I made my way over to her, smiling sheepishly at having been caught abandoning her. This was the first time she had woken up alone and apparently, she was less than thrilled with the idea. Her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at me, the sheet bunched around her waist.<p>

"Good Morning Bella." I tried, climbing back into the bed and moving to sit so my legs mirrored hers. I stared down at my hands, unable to meet her eyes, which I noticed on the way in looked teary.

"Liss, go?" She asked, her voice still rough from sleep and I wondered how long she'd actually been awake for.

"No, honey. I was just hunting." I said, taking her hand and squeezing it comfortingly. She pointed to herself, raising her eyebrow. "You were sleeping. I didn't want to wake you." I defended myself to the upset lioness. It had become fairly easy for me to anticipate and understand Bella. She didn't need many words, especially when I could see her eyes. She frowned at me glaring, but finally relented, holding her arms out. I took her willingness to hug me as acceptance of my excuse and eagerly moved into her arms.

While I was out hunting/avoiding pouncing on Bella, I had thought of a plan to familiarize her with my family, so she might be more comfortable when they returned. Once she had finished her breakfast I pulled her to the couch in the living room with one of our family albums. Opening it to the first page I found a picture of all of us that one of the Denali coven had taken up in Alaska. Bella grinned and pointed to me in the front, holding up a rather large icicle with Edward.

"Liss!" She exclaimed, looking down at the photo and back at me several times. I smiled, kissing her on the cheek.

"Yes, that's me. Good Bella." I pointed to the younger boy next to me in the photo. "Edward." I said in the tone that meant I wanted her to repeat me. Being stubborn for reasons unknown to me, Bella turned away to look out the wall of windows to the forest surrounding our house. Giving a huff of annoyance, I gently took Bella's chin and turned her back to look at the photo. "Edward." I said again, pointing to my brother. Bella frowned, looking from the picture up at me. Apparently, the animal 'living in the moment' thing was void if she had a grudge against you. I tried with another member of my family with the same result.

Setting down the book in my lap, I caught Bella's eye. "Bella, please." I pleaded. I needed her to get along with my family, if I wanted both of them in my life, which I did. With a tiny growl, Bella relented, turning so her whole body faced me. "Thank you." I said smiling at her happily before leaning in and giving her a short kiss on the lips. I giggled at her determination not to smile when I pulled back, though I could see it tugging at the corners of her mouth. She's so stubborn.

By the time lunch came around we'd successfully identified Eddie, Mitt, and Carla, which corresponded to Edward, Emmett, and Carlisle. I couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of me every time I thought of how my father would react to his new name. I suppose I could have altered it to something else if I really wanted to, but…I didn't. It was just too funny.

The males were easier I determined. It seemed the females in my family would be significantly more difficult to teach Bella. She appeared to have associated them with negative energy, which I'm sure was partially my fault, at least in Esme's case. Despite her refusal to repeat their names, I was fairly confident she knew them, or some variation of them, anyway.

That evening, I showed her a few of our home movies, so she could see my parents and siblings in a different light. One particular movie seemed to puzzle Bella. Rosalie, Emmett, and I were carving jack o' lanterns. Emmett had pushed a little too hard and caused the whole face to cave in, leaving his pumpkin with a gaping hole in it's front. Rosalie and I were both laughing loudly while Emmett pouted. At the end of the video, our arms around each others shoulders, we each stood behind our pumpkin. Rosalie had carved a witch flying on a broom in hers, while mine held a slightly more intricate scene of a haunted house. In the middle, lighting up the night around the front steps of our house was Emmett's pumpkin. I could understand her confusion. She'd never seen Rosalie like that. Carefree. Happy. _Nice._ Truth be told, I couldn't explain my sister's behavior to her if I wanted. True, she didn't take to change or strangers well, but her treatment of Bella seemed overly cold and harsh.

* * *

><p>"Alright Bella, next one." I said holding up a flash card with a blue circle on it. It was now only two days before my family was due home and I was trying my best to prepare Bella as much as possible. I even got her into some clothes this morning so she could get used to wearing them again. Today she had on some short cotton sleep shorts, that still hung a little loose around her hips, and an altered t-shirt. I had cut off the sleeves and tied it up in a knot under her breasts so her stomach was exposed. Despite having to cut the neckline a bit, I still counted it as a victory because she allowed her shoulders to be covered.<p>

"Bloo." She said, staring at my fingers hungrily. I was also trying another reward program today, not that I didn't love our kisses, but I figured mixing things up couldn't hurt.

"Good Bella." I said, offering a finger of my hand covered with a dollop of peanut butter. I giggled as Bella's eyes lit up and she pulled my hand to her face, enclosing a finger in her mouth and sucking on it eagerly. I bit my lip as I watched her eyes close in contentment, the sensation of her tongue wrapping around my finger caused a throb in my center. Looking back, I definitely didn't think this plan through all the way. Perhaps a spoon would have been better.

When she'd finally finished, she released my hand and I pulled it back to my side, watching her eyes follow it as she licked her lips.

"Good Bella?" I asked, my breath hitching embarrassingly, though she didn't seem to notice.

"Mmm," she purred happily, almost causing the impossible, a vampire to faint. Clearing my throat, I pulled another card from the pile, holding it up.

"S'may." She stated, less than enthusiastic. I hadn't even looked at the card I was holding, but when I turned it to face me, it was indeed a picture of my mother.

"Good." I said, just starting to offer my hand again, when my cell phone rang. Dropping the cards, I pulled it from my pocket with the non-peanut butter hand and answered, knowing by the ring tone it would either be Carlisle or Esme. "Hello?"

"Oh Alice dear, how are you?" My mother's voice came through the speaker sounding slightly worried.

"Fine, is everything…" I gasped surprised when Bella decided to help herself to her reward.

"Alice?" I forced my mind to ignore the warm mouth around my digit, possibly the most difficult task I've ever undertaken.

"Umm, sorry. Is everything okay?" I finally replied, though my voice was slightly higher than usual. There was silence on the other end for a moment, but thankfully Esme seemed to disregard my oddities.

"Well, yes. I'm afraid they're expecting a bad storm here in the next day or two and our flight will likely be cancelled. We tried to get a flight out today, but they were all booked up."

"O-Oh! Umm, yeah, that's bad." I offered, my eyes having strayed back to the blissed out kitten now lapping at the other fingers on my hand. I should have scolded her, but just couldn't find the will.

"Alice? What's going on? You seem distracted." Esme's now concerned and annoyed voice questioned me.

"I, uh, yeah, sounds good."

ALICE!" Her raised voice finally brought me out of my Bella induced fog, and I shook my head to clear it, finally finding the will to pull my hand out of Bella's grasp, turning away from the pout forming on her face.

"Huh?"

"Do I have your attention now? This is important." Esme said, her voice belaying her obvious annoyance. I suppose I couldn't really blame her.

"Yes, I'm sorry. What is it?"

"We had scheduled our flight so that we'd be able to drive back from Seattle with Edward. He's still coming in on Thursday, but since we won't get in until Saturday now, can you please pick him up?" I sighed.

"Can't he just run home?" I heard my mother's exasperated huff on the other end and rolled my eyes.

"I'd really rather he not, Alice. You know that part of the state draws nomads. What if he ran into some that were unfriendly? Can you please just pick him up? I'm only asking this small thing; I really don't think it's too much, do you?" She asked in her patented mom voice.

"No, but what about Bella?"

"She can go with you." She answered as if it was obvious. Bella had never been in a car to my knowledge, nor out around that many people.

"Fine." I sighed, "But tell him to be waiting at baggage claim because I don't want Bella getting out of the car."

"I'm sure that'll be fine dear. We're speaking to him this evening, so I'll be sure to let him know."

"Okay, see you Saturday." I said, trying to sound cheery. I was looking forward to my family's return, honestly. But I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss my time alone with Bella.

Speaking of my girl. I turned around to find that she had abandoned our flash cards and moved to one of her favorite places to stare out the window. Looks like it was time for another outdoor adventure. A couple days in the woods would be just what the doctor ordered to help relax Bella before she faced my family again.

**A/N I wanted to show that Bella's intelligent and logical, despite not having any formal education. Hopefully that came across. Sorry for the long wait. If you're reading my other story, it's mostly written, just a few things to fix and then I'll update. **


	7. One Down  Four to Go

Chapter 6

It didn't occur to me until I got off the phone with my mother that there was an even bigger problem than getting Bella into clothes and a car, then around hundreds of people. If Edward got into the backseat and Bella shifted forms, I was pretty sure people would notice, not to mention either she, or my car, or both would be damaged with the change.

So even though I took her out for another night in the woods, much to her delight, we came back earlier than planned. I plopped her in front of the television with as many home movies of Edward as possible in hopes of familiarizing her with him. I had also been planning several other distractions to help lower the risk of her shifting.

My last big effort would be today. We were leaving in an hour to pick up my brother. The trip would take quite a while even with my driving. I didn't understand why Edward didn't fly into Port Angeles or even the small airport by Forks. Driving all the way to Seattle required nearly two hours of driving including two ferries! It was bad enough keeping Bella locked up in what I'm sure would feel like a sardine can to her, but being trapped on a boat with so many other people…twice. Bad news. I thought about leaving Bella at home, or even dropping her off on the outskirts of the city and picking her up on the way home, but I didn't like the idea of her getting lonely. And what if some nomads did come across her. Truthfully, I'm surprised she'd survived as long as she did without any fighting skills. Sure, she could sufficiently fend off normal animals and probably human hunters, but I couldn't see her coming across any dangerous nomads or other shifters, if they were aggressive, and surviving. In the end, my overly protective nature won out and I had to take Bella with me.

That being said, I was fully prepared to make the trip as stress-free and entertaining as possible for her. Beside the front door was a bag containing several tins of fruit, a jar of peanut butter, _plastic spoons_, picture books, a portable DVD player and movies, and her drawing pad. I'd also packed a pillow in case she wanted to nap, as our trip would cover the time she normally slept in the afternoon. Esme said Bella slept more than a normal human. I wouldn't know, but I suppose she does take quite a few naps during the day. Carlisle said it probably has to do with her being a cat. I guess cats sleep a lot.

"Bella! Don't be such a baby!" I said impatiently, forcing the shirt over her head. She had to look somewhat presentable. Fully tinted windows weren't legal in Washington, so people would be able to see her. It would look strange if she was dressed like a five dollar hooker.

"No, no, no." She muttered, ripping the neckline of the shirt down across her chest. Sighing, I pulled the ruined garment off of her and grabbed another from the pile. The spaghetti strap green tank top not only stayed on, but also matched her eyes, and I mentally patted myself on the back. The pants were always the easier task. She'd taken a liking to the light cotton sleep shorts I'd gotten her, the problem was that without panties, they weren't exactly modest, especially with her affinity for sitting with her legs apart. For that reason I had found a slightly thicker pair with a bit more length. They were still fairly short, but long enough that the shadow would give her more modesty. Regardless, if I caught anyone looking up her shorts anyway, they'd better have some fast legs and a resilient body.

"Okay, Bella. Look here." I said, once she was finally dressed to my liking. We still hadn't crossed the bridge of shoes yet, but since she wasn't getting out of the car anyway, I didn't see how it mattered. I giggled thinking how my family would react if they heard me say shoes didn't matter.

Bella sat on the bed, her legs bowed and her hands set in front of her so she was leaning forward a bit, ever attentive. I smiled, holding up the drawing I had made of her cat form. Pointing to it, I shook my head.

"No cat today." I said, watching her closely for understanding. She frowned, almost pouting as she looked from the picture to me and back again. "Just for today Bella. No cat." She scrunched her nose, looking away non-committally and I sighed. Walking forward I took her chin in my hand, staring hard into her green eyes. "No cat, Bella. Yes?" I asked, looking for a confirmation. A low growl built in her chest, but my raised eyebrow quieted her displeasure. She stared at me for a long time as she always does when she wants to challenge me. I took it as a good sign. At least she knew what I was asking if she was reacting this way. "Please Bella." I begged, giving her my best pout. I saw the struggle in her eyes, but she finally relented, with a tiny, yes. "That's my good girl." I said softly, smiling and placing a quick kiss to her lips. I let my fingers run through her dark hair, watching amusedly as she tried to stop the automatic purr my scalp massage caused.

I crawled up onto the bed with her and she laid back, allowing me to wrap her up in my arms and relaxing as I continued to stroke her hair. We had taken a long run this morning to stretch our legs, but I decided I'd use the rest of our time to relax before we had to leave. Unfortunately, that time was far too short and only twenty minutes later I was forced to pull a languid Bella out of bed and down to the car, grabbing my bag along the way.

Bella yawned widely, her eyes still drooping with drowsiness as she watched me prepare the car. I slid the passenger seat back, reclining it some before putting the pillow in the back and tucking my bag of goodies right behind the center console. As much as I'd like to, we weren't taking my Porsche today. It was far too small for Bella to be comfortable in, not to mention it was only a two-seater. Instead we were taking my white range rover, a gift from Rosalie and Emmett two years ago for Christmas.

Once everything was set, I turned to look at the sleepy kitten and wanted to coo at the expression on her face. "Okay Bella. In you go." I said, gesturing to the car. She took one last look at the machine in front of her before apparently deciding it didn't matter and climbing in. It didn't hit her that she would be trapped inside until the door closed behind her. I saw her eyes immediately widen through the window and sped around to my side, jumping in.

"Liss!" She squeaked in her panic, clawing at the door for a way to get out. I had placed the child locks on, but I was afraid she'd break the window and quickly pulled her into a hug.

"Shh, Bella. It's okay." I whispered into her ear turning on the engine at the same time. I wanted to get all the startling stuff out of the way while I was comforting her. Reaching behind me I put down both our windows, hoping it would help ease the claustrophobia. Her body relaxed just slightly when she felt the breeze on her back, but she continued to whimper and I felt like crying at how upset I'd made her. "Bella, honey, you're okay. I'm here. I promise it's okay." I soothed, as the car continued to rumble around us. When I felt the shock had worn off, I reached back into my bag and removed one of the containers of fruit. Taking off the cover I leaned back, offering it to a frowning Bella. Her expression didn't change, but she did start eating the cubed watermelon, staring out the window both fearful and curious as I began pulling out of our driveway.

"This is a car, Bella. Car." I reminded her. I had already taught her the word, but she'd never done more than see one from the outside. Now she could understand how it operated.

Five minutes into the drive, any shock or fear had worn off to be replaced with curiosity. Unfortunately this included the touching of every button in my car. She seemed particularly fond of turning my hazard lights on since it made a repetitive clicking sound. Her curiosity lasted approximately fifteen minutes into the drive and then she became bored, staring out the window, chin in hand.

"Bella, here. Want to draw?" I asked, pulling out her notebook. She waved her hand, in what I determined to be a negative fashion. "How about a movie?" I offered, trying to find the dvd player that had apparently fallen out of the bag while I was fumbling for her charcoal. I didn't matter because she waved off this option as well and I started to become worried. I'd only thought to bring so many activities. Honestly, I was hoping she would sleep most of the trip, but that didn't seem likely now.

"Umm, okay. How about a game?" I suggested desperately searching for something to distract her. I hated seeing her so listless. She turned back to look at me, her arms hanging out of the window as we drove, hand catching the breeze.

"Gim?" She asked. One problem with her picking up words so quickly now was that she wasn't giving much thought to sounding them out anymore. It seemed like she was happy if I understood her, regardless if the pronunciation was correct. That was something we'd have to work on I suppose, but it didn't really bother me as much as it should. I'm sure Esme and Carlisle would take to the task when they got home. As long as I understood her and she me, it wasn't a high priority for me. I figured she'd just get better over time.

"Yup, a game. Okay, let's see…" I thought out loud. It had to be something she'd understand and enjoy. Rosalie and I usually played 'name the designer and season' on car trips, but Bella wasn't quite to that stage in her fashion knowledge…yet. Emmett and Edward sometimes played something with license plates or road signs, but there weren't many of either one of those on this road. Snapping my fingers, I smiled. "I got it. We'll play I spy!" I pronounced. In actuality, it wasn't exactly I-Spy, it was more like, name the thing. It took almost twenty minutes for me to actually get Bella to understand the concept, but eventually she caught on to what I wanted. "Okay, ready?" I chuckled at her eager expression. She was smiling widely after having gotten the last one correct. "It's brown." I paused, watching her concentrate on my description. "Soft. Yummy. Gooood." I elongated the last word so that it was almost a moan and Bella's eyes lit up.

"Nutter!" She exclaimed excitedly and I grinned.

"Good Bella!"

"Bella." She said, patting her chest. I was surprised, but let her have a chance. If she wanted to try, who was I to stop her. She thought hard for a moment, the tip of her tongue peeking out of her lips just a bit. "Bloo." She finally said, and I nodded my understanding. I'm sure I was grinning like an idiot, but I was proud of her. I couldn't help it. After another minute of thought she added, "Up." At this point I was fairly certain I knew what it was. After all, she only knew so many words and I taught her most of them. Despite that, I let her continue, wanting to give her a chance to use more of her knowledge. Plus I was curious as to how she'd describe it. She frowned when she couldn't think of the word she wanted. Instead she decided to show me. Making a wooshing sound, she waved her hands in front of her.

"Nuh uh, Bella. What's it called." I demanded, watching her forehead wrinkle in thought as she continued to frown. I knew when she remembered the word because her eyes lit up again joyfully.

"Win."

"Wind." I corrected, trying not to laugh when Bella rolled her eyes, repeating the word with extra emphasis on the d. "Good, and the answer is sky." I said, smiling when Bella grinned at me. I didn't bother telling her that wind didn't really describe sky. Even if she did understand, it would just make her sad. Instead, I leaned over to give her a kiss for her accomplishment. "My turn." I sang, trying to think of another word she knew.

Somehow we managed to keep the game up until we reached the first ferry. Bella was getting tired again, as evidenced by her drooping eye lids. I think that was the only reason she wasn't freaking out about us parking and people around us getting out of their cars. Never the less, I didn't want to take the chance of her being alerted to their presence and pulled her into the back seat with me. Urging her to lie down, her head in my lap, it was easy to soothe her into a deep sleep. The hard part was pulling myself away when I had to continue driving. Bella ended up sleeping straight through until we reached the airport and I decided to let her continue to doze. Just in case she did shift, it would be better if it didn't happen in view of hundreds of humans.

Leaving my sleeping girl in the backseat, I slipped from the car when I saw Edward waiting on the curb.

"Hey Alice." He greeted, moving to put his suitcase in the trunk, when I pulled on his arm, stopping him.

"Bella's sleeping in the backseat. Be very quiet. I don't want her waking up until we're outside the airport and the city limits preferably. He nodded his head, eyes widening at the knowledge that Bella had come with me. Apparently, our parents hadn't mentioned that.

"Is she…"

"She's human." I confirmed, swiftly moving to place his bag in the trunk and shutting the door as quietly as possible. Bella was a deep sleeper, but she wasn't completely dead to the world. Loud sounds would still startle her awake.

Once Edward and I were both in the car, my younger brother immediately turned to the back seat, taking in Bella's sleeping human form. I had to repress my urge to growl at his wandering eyes.

"Cool." He stated simply, smiling at me before putting his headphones in place as I eased back into the airport traffic.

It appeared luck was on our side and Bella didn't wake up until we were about thirty minutes from home, but when she did, she was severely startled to see Edward sitting in the front seat. When he turned around to look at her, she snarled more out of fear than aggression, and tucked herself as much into the corner behind my seat as possible. Despite her unhappy reaction, she didn't shift. That wasn't to say she wasn't tense though. I finally decided to pull the car over and allow Edward to drive so I could sit in the back with Bella. Technically Edward was fourteen, but he knew how to drive, and Carlisle allowed him to get a fake license, much to Esme's displeasure. In this case, it came in handy. Even with my presence and a spoon of peanut butter hanging out of her mouth, Bella still regarded Edward wearily, watching him like a hawk all the way home. However, she relaxed significantly once we were out of such close quarters. She even greeted him with a quiet 'Eddie,' much to both mine and my brother's surprise. He didn't particularly care for that nickname, but I explained Bella had trouble with his full name and he thankfully acquiesced, especially when I related to him what she called Carlisle.

"So how are the cousins?" I asked conversationally, once we were inside. Bella had darted off into the woods once we arrived, but I wasn't concerned. She was most likely in need of the bathroom after such a long journey. I proved to be correct when she arrived back at the house with soiled shorts just as Edward began explaining about Kate's new mate.

"Bellaaaa." I sighed. Motioning to where she pulled on the wet cloth. Edward snickered from his place at the piano and I shot him a glare. Turning back to my bashful girl, I couldn't be mad at her. She was looking up at me through her lashes in that adorable fashion that melts my frozen heart. So with a sigh, I just dragged her upstairs to the bathroom for a shower. One of these days I was going to get her to understand the need of taking off her clothes before relieving herself. _Obviously_, all my attempts so far had been failures. _How_ can she be so logical in other things and _not _realize…GAH!

"Perhaps, she could wear skirts?" Edward offered from downstairs as I started stripping Bella down for the shower.

"Are you reading my thoughts again, _Eddie?_" I growled.

"No, actually. It just seemed to make sense." I couldn't fault his logic there, but skirts would definitely pose a problem for keeping Bella's modesty intact. My brow furrowed as I considered the idea while easing Bella out of the now wet shorts. I suppose the real problem was that she wasn't completely able to dress herself alone yet. Perhaps once that obstacle was overcome, we could work on this one.

"Bella bad?" She asked sadly, reaching a hand up to smooth the wrinkles between my eyebrows. I sighed, forcing a smile onto my face.

"No sweetie, you're not bad. Here, shower time." I sang, gently pushing her under the spray of water and handing her a loofa I'd lathered with soap. One thing she didn't need my help with anymore was washing, unfortunately…but I still stayed in the room with her just in case… okay, mostly I just enjoyed the view and was thankful Bella didn't know enough to call me a pervert.

Once Bella was finished, I grabbed a towel from the warmer and wrapped it snuggly around her, rubbing the cloth against her skin to dry it.

I was just pulling Bella's tank top over her head when there was a knock at my bedroom door. I'd been so focused on not touching the tempting sun-kissed breasts in front of me that I hadn't heard Edward walk down the hall and jumped slightly at the noise. When I finally got the tank top pulled down, I called my brother to enter. I stepped in front of Bella, though, conscious that her nipples were visible through the shirt and not wanting Edward to see. I grabbed her arms, pulling them around me and making her step into my back. She began purring and nuzzling my neck as Edward entered, looking slightly awkward about our position.

"What's up?" I asked, drawing his attention to me, rather than the girl behind me, who had ducked down when he entered, just peeking over my shoulder. I patted her arms around my waist comfortingly.

"Oh, well I saw some flash cards downstairs and noticed Bella was learning colors. So, I thought maybe we could play Candyland." I smiled. Sometimes Edward could actually be thoughtful.

"Sure! Why don't you go set it up in the living room and Bella and I will be down in a second." I suggested. He nodded, and left, closing the door behind him.

I turned around in Bella's arms, reaching up on my toes to give her a quick kiss. "You're doing so good Bella!" I told her, grinning. I was proud of her, staying in human form even though she was uncomfortable. She gave me her patented feral smile and I chuckled. "Okay, come on." I started pulling her towards the door before remembering the reason I'd stood in front of her earlier. Peeking back at her chest I saw the girls were still very alert. Was she cold?

Bella frowned, ducking her head to catch my eyes before looking down at herself.

"Liss?" She asked, now looking from me back to herself.

Shaking my head I moved back towards her and made a vague motion towards her nipples. She scrunched up her nose, looking at me in confusion.

"No bad, Liss." She stated, looking at me incredulously.

"Yes it is bad, Bella. Those are private." I told her seriously. She huffed before waving away in a shrug and placing a hand over each breast.

"Good?" She questioned equally serious and I burst out laughing. In fact, I laughed so hard, I doubled over at the waist. Poor Bella looked at me like I'd completely lost it, but her gesture did make me realize how ridiculous I was being.

"No, Bella. It's fine. It's fine, honey. I'm sorry." I said, still giggling as I pulled her hands away from the perky mounds. Licking my lips, I shook my head again and pulled her after me out of the room. "We're going to play a new game, Bella!" I told her excitedly, as we made our way down the hall.

"Gim!" She repeated smiling back at me.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs and she saw Edward, Bella immediately moved just a bit more behind me, and I squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"It's okay Bella. That's Edward. You know him."

"Eddee." She said quietly.

"Hi Bella." My brother responded, smiling softly at her. I pulled her to a spot at the coffee table across from Edward. She immediately began taking in the pictures on the game board.

"Bloo." She whispered to me, watching Edward out of the corner of her eye. She was acting adorably shy, so I gave her a smile, nodding.

"Tell me another, Bella." I said, pointing to a red square.

"Red." She answered obediently, and I hugged her against my side happily.

"Good." I praised, giving her a kiss on the cheek. I checked over the board to make sure she knew all of the colors and realized we'd never learned purple. Pointing to one of the squares I told her, "Purple."

"Porple"

"Good Bella." Then turning to my brother, "Edward, would you mind running into the kitchen and getting Bella a spoon of peanut butter. A plastic spoon preferably." He nodded, moving at a human pace so as not to alarm Bella. Meanwhile, I turned to my girl, seeing the grin on her face. She apparently knew what was coming, so I didn't waste any time. Reaching to tangle my fingers in her hair, I pulled her in for a deep kiss as her reward. Bella was nothing short of an expert at kissing now and soon dominated my willing mouth with her tongue. Finally pulling myself away a purr escaped my lips. "Mmm, such a good girl." I whispered into Bella's ears, surprisingly causing her to shiver. When I pulled back I saw Bella looking at me with that predator stare she had after our first hug and thought I may have made a mistake. Fortunately, Edward's reentrance snapped her out of that state of mind and she leaned closer towards me. I reached across the table, grabbing the spoon from Edward and handed it to Bella, who promptly stuck it in her mouth, sucking on it like a lollipop.

"Wow, she really likes that stuff, huh?" Edward commented, watching Bella's half-lidded eyes as she once again took on the appearance of a blissed out feline. It was actually kind of sexy to watch, and I found myself squirming a bit as I watched her. Edward gave me a look and I quickly cleared my throat, snatching the now clean spoon from Bella's pouting mouth.

"Oh stop Bella. There wasn't any left on there." I told her, rolling my eyes as I tossed the spoon on the side table. Once that was done, I lined up the different colored people shaped pieces for Bella to choose one. Bella picked the blue person handing it to me and I noticed Edward frowning. When I gave him a questioning look he grumbled.

"I'm always blue."

"Well today Bella's blue. You can be green." I told him, trying not to laugh at the petulant look on his face. Bella nudged my arm and I turned to see her handing me another person, this one yellow.

"No, Bella. You only get one." I told her, grabbing the blue one and holding them both out in front of me. "Which one do you want. Blue? Or Yellow?" She frowned, considering my question, before grabbing the blue one.

"Good. I wanted to be yellow." I grinned, putting my newly chosen piece at the start and ignoring Edward's huff. Edward went first and Bella watched eagerly. I went next, so she could see another example before her turn. As soon as I finished moving my piece Bella grabbed at the top card on the deck. She turned over a double purple and looked to me to see how to proceed. I pointed to the first purple square and then the second. "One purple. Two purple." I told her, leaving my finger on the second purple square until she moved her person.

The game continued relatively easily. Bella seemed to be enjoying herself and becoming more comfortable around Edward. The only times she had trouble were when she got non-color cards. The first time she got one, she tried to pick again. I suppose she thought it was a mistake. We played two games before Edward and I lost interest and Bella had to watch reluctantly as I put the game back in our cupboard.

Edward had moved to sit in one of the arm chairs, his headphones, predictably, back in place. I chose a seat on the couch, grabbing a magazine for myself and a book with pictures of the national parks for Bella. About ten minutes later, I noticed Bella shifting a bit in her place next to me, and looked up to see her watching Edward. He had a book open in front of him, but was bobbing his head to whatever song was playing in his ears. Bella noticed my attention and leaned towards me, whispering.

"Whas that?" She pointed unashamed at Edward, who must have caught the motion and looked up.

"Why don't you ask Edward?" I suggested. Bella stared back at me, as if to see if I was serious before shaking her head no. "Go on, Bella. It's okay. You can ask him. _Edward_." I called over to my brother so he would remove an ear bud, which he did. Once we had his attention I turned back to Bella. "Go ahead Bella." I encouraged. "She wants to ask you something." I clarified for Edward. Hearing this, he removed his other earphone and sat forward in his seat.

"Yes Bella?" He asked, looking somewhat shy himself. Bella tried to turn into me, but I wouldn't let her. I wrapped my arms around her chest, holding her in front of me so she'd have to face my brother, but hopefully still felt safe with me. I heard her growl softly, wiggling in my arms briefly before sighing and lifting her head.

"Whas that?" She finally asked again, pointing to the Ipod on his lap.

"What? This?" He asked, lifting the mp3 player up and showing it to her. Bella nodded. "It's called an Ipod. It plays music." Bella tilted her head curiously. She had heard music before. I'd played it while everyone was gone on occasion, but she never requested to know what it was called then. Seeing her confusion, Edward stood and moved over to where we had a stereo dock set up. Connecting his Ipod, he quickly searched through some songs before making a selection and adjusting the volume so it would be in surround sound. Bruno Mars began playing throughout the room and Bella sat up straighter in surprise, quickly turning to look at me.

"Music." I repeated for her.

"Moosic." She mimicked automatically, standing up. As the song continued, I noticed Bella swaying slightly and grinned.

"Let's dance Bella!" I said, taking her hands innocently and standing a couple feet away. I swung my hips side to side, urging her to do the same. She watched, smiling but caught on quickly. As the music continued to play, I started to teach Bella some silly dance moves, throwing my hands in the air, or doing the shopping cart. She was having so much fun, she didn't even flinch when Edward joined our group. I laughed when I saw him trying to teach her how to do the lawn mower. Eventually, I'd have to teach her how to really move, preferably when Edward's not around, but for now, Bella and Edward were both having fun and I was happy to let them. Dance Party!

One family member down. Four to go.

**A/N Ah, music bringing people together ****J**


	8. Family

Chapter 7

"Okay Edward, what are we going to watch?" I asked my younger brother as Bella and I got situated on the couch. All three of us were in pajamas, since Edward and I decided to have a movie marathon. I wasn't sure Bella would make it through, given that she was already yawning widely, snuggled up to my side. I grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and threw it over us, as Bella let her head rest on my shoulder.

"What if we each picked one movie to watch?" Edward suggested, his eyes darting to Bella, before turning back to me for a decision. I nodded. "I'm going to pick Transformers." He stated, taking that DVD out and placing it on the coffee table.

"Hmm, grab Save the last dance for me." I smiled feeling a building purr vibrating against my body as my hand ran through Bella's hair. "Bella's will be Finding Nemo. That's her favorite." She murmured into my shoulder, nuzzling her cheek against me. I giggled. She was too adorable when sleepy. "You want to go upstairs Bella? You want to sleep?" I asked her.

"No, Bella an' Liss…an' Dee." She said softly, following her proclamation with another yawn.

"What's that mean?" Edward asked curiously. He recognized her altered name for him. Apparently Bella had sensed Edward didn't like the name Eddie, and had, just today, taken to calling him Dee.

"It means she wants to stay here with us." I translated. I fancied myself fluent in Bella speak now.

Edward nodded, holding up the three videos in front of Bella and I. I nudged Bella, alerting her to presence. He smiled, showing the cases to her.

"You pick which one we watch first." Edward said. Bella looked up at me first before poking the Finding Nemo cover with her finger.

"Nemo." She stated, without hesitation. I rolled my eyes. What a surprise. I must have seen this film twenty times since Bella came home with me, mostly within the last week.

"Did you even have to ask?" I told my brother sarcastically. He smiled, sheepishly before slipping the disc in. When the screen lit up, he slid back into the reclining chair he favored, glancing over at Bella and I again. Bella no longer felt the need to keep a constant watch on Edward. After our impromptu dance party, she'd acted much more comfortable, especially if I was also in the room. I thought the quickness of her acceptance might have been due to Edward's youth and scrawny physique. He wasn't particularly threatening. I was more than happy to share this theory with him, teasing him as any older sister would. He had only scowled and turned his Ipod up higher.

"Bloo!" Bella gave a tired, but still enthusiastic exclamation when Dory came on screen. She is her favorite character. Whether she understood her real name or not, I didn't' know, but she referred to her as Blue. Edward chuckled from his seat and I wrapped my arm around her back, giving her waist a little squeeze.

As I expected, Bella was asleep before they even reached the jelly fish. I carefully eased her off my shoulder and laid her head in my lap. She purred happily in her sleep as I trailed my fingers through her hair.

"Go ahead and put in Transformers if you want Edward, she's out for the night." I told him, laughing quietly at his exclamation of 'finally,' before he darted over to switch the discs. I smiled down at Bella, thinking about tomorrow. Esme and Carlisle would be arriving in the afternoon, and I really had no idea how Bella would react. I knew it wouldn't be as simple as Edward's reunion, but hopefully enough time had passed that Bella and my parents, particularly my mother, could start off on a clean slate. I sighed softly, thinking about how I needed to apologize to Esme for being such a brat. I've been working on leashing my beast, but there hasn't been any real tests yet. I expected once my parents got home, and especially once my other siblings arrived, that the control I had now would be stretched. I can only hope that it won't snap completely.

Speaking of control, a couple times during the movie marathon, I'd catch Edward looking over at Bella, but when he noticed me watching he'd quickly turn back to the screen. I wondered if perhaps my baby brother was harboring a little crush for my girl. The beast in me stirred at the thought, but I trusted Edward, I was sure it was just innocent affection between friends. Anyone with eyes could see that Bella belonged to me, and likewise, I to her.

Unfortunately, staying up late proved to have consequences the next morning. Bella slept well into lunch time the next day, which meant we only had a few hours before my parents arrived. And currently, I had yet to even extract Bella from her blankets.

"Come on sweetie. Time to wake up." The only response I received was an annoyed growl from beneath the covers. "Bella come on! It's almost noon!" I huffed, fighting to pull the blankets from over her head. She's stronger than she looks.

"No." She mumbled shifting away from me. That's it!

With a growl of my own I pounced on her, straddling her covered form and pulling back the blankets with one quick yank. Bella squinted into the light, her upper lip lifted in a snarl and her hair wild and half covering her face.

"Lisssss." She hissed, sounding very much like she does in cat form. Her green eyes flashed in annoyance. I just smirked, sitting up and putting my hands on my hips as I looked down at the flustered feline.

"Sorry Bella, but you need to get up. I gave you your ten hours! That's plenty. Now quit growling and get your butt in the shower." I said, dragging her from the bed and pushing her towards the bathroom, despite her continued fight against me. This was a side of Bella I'd only seen once before and it was when I had accidentally woken her from an afternoon nap. She was definitely a cranky kitty when she woke up before she was ready to.

Forty minutes later, Bella was finally clean and I had managed to get her into some sleep shorts and a tank top. The past couple days I'd been teaching her how to dress herself, and she'd been getting better. Her irritated state this morning caused a bit of a relapse with her reluctance to put on clothes at all, much less try and figure out how to do so herself. As it was, she ripped through two outfits before I finally wrangled her into the simple one she allowed. At this rate, I'd definitely need to go shopping again soon.

"Good Morning Bella." Edward greeted her as we walked through the living room on the way to the kitchen. Edward frowned slightly when all he got was a huff in return.

"Bella, that wasn't very nice." I scolded, trying not to laugh at her attitude.

"Bella FOO! Liss no bed!" She complained to me unhappily, stomping into the kitchen.

"Did I say something wrong?" Edward asked, looking after the hackled woman. I sighed. It was kind of sad that her most complete sentences to date had to come prodded by anger.

"No, she's just mad because I woke her up early. Plus, she's hungry which never helps matters." I explained for my brother's benefit before following Bella into the kitchen. She was sitting at the counter impatiently waiting for me. As much as I hated the fact that she was upset with me, her little kitten temper and pout was too cute not to appreciate.

Without a word I pulled out a container of cut up apples and slid it over to Bella to begin eating while I cooked up some meat.

After breakfast, I decided to go for a walk with Bella through the woods, hoping to calm her down before my parents returned. We had stopped by a berry grove, and I waited while Bella ambled around nibbling on the wild blueberries.

"Bella, Esme and Carlisle are coming home today. You remember them right?" I asked quietly, from my place leaning against the tree. Bella turned her head to look at me briefly, but then went right back to picking berries. "Bella, come on. Are you really still mad at me?" I asked, pouting exaggeratedly when she turned to face me again.

"Yes." She nodded, but I her irritated expression faltered and eventually she sighed. "No." She muttered. "Bella no mad." Gleefully I jumped up from my spot and moved to wrap Bella in a hug, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Aww, thanks sweetie. I'm sorry I had to wake you." I whispered into her ear, giving one final squeeze before pulling away to find a small smile back on her face. Checking my watch, I grimaced. "Bella. Carlisle and Esme will be home soon."

"Carla, s'may?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion. I guess she didn't really understand.

"That's right honey. Carlisle and Esme come here." I said trying to motion my meaning in gestures. Bella still didn't quite get it, so instead I just took her hand, leading her back to the house. I didn't know how else to warn her. Hopefully they wouldn't be there yet.

Naturally, my luck wasn't that good. I smelled my parents in the house as soon as we exited the woods into our backyard. When we were closer, Bella stilled mid step, breathing in the air.

"No, Bella…" I started to say, but it was too late. Where my girl had once stood, now stood a snowy white lion, still beautiful, but not how I had hoped she'd re-meet my parents. "Oh Bella." I sighed, staring into her big green eyes looking up at me. "Well come on." I motioned, leading her up and into the house.

By appearances I'd guess that they had really _just_ arrived, since their bags were still by the front door and they were still standing in the entrance way greeting Edward. As soon as we entered, all three occupants turned to face us with a smile. Edward frowned slightly when he saw Bella had retreated back into animal form, but didn't comment on it. Said cat tucked herself close into my side as we walked, but never hesitated in her steps which I saw as a positive thing.

"Alice, Bella, how are you? Has there been any problems?" Carlisle asked with a friendly smile, taking a couple steps towards us.

"No problems." I said, waving away his concern before bouncing over to both my parents and giving them a hug. "I'm sorry for how I acted before." I spoke softly to my mother after she released me from my hug.

"Think nothing of it. It's always difficult when we first mate. The emotions and instincts can be overwhelming. Carlisle explained more about it to me while we were away. I'm sorry I made you feel threatened. You know I love both you and Bella." She said earnestly and I nodded. Esme was the epitome of a caring mother.

"Actually, speaking of that, I did some more research while I had access to my larger library." Carlisle interjected, and I turned to face him, while moving a few steps back to where Bella had stopped. In an unspoken move, we all made our way to the living room, taking seats before Carlisle continued. "As it happens, Bella may not be a shifter." He started and I leaned forward in expectation from where Bella and I had settled on the couch. "She could be a werecat." He finished.

"A werecat?" I laughed disbelievingly. "Like a werewolf, but a werecat?" I clarified, still giggling at the idea. I'd never heard of a were_cat_ before, and it sounded a little ridiculous to me.

"Yes, exactly like that. They are exceptionally rare, which makes me think Bella is more than likely a shifter as we originally thought." Carlisle continued despite my interruption.

"What's the difference?" Edward asked curiously, his eyes moving to Bella, who was only just losing the tension in her back since she first changed.

"Well, shifters are born with the ability to become an animal. It just takes a significant threat to either themselves or someone they care for deeply to unleash the ability. Typically, shifters won't make their first transformation until they're in their teenage years. Werecats are produced through a bite. Both shifters are said to be extremely fast, even faster than vampires. Werecats can travel at nearly twice the speed of an average vampire. Shifters reach speeds somewhere between the two."

"Bella can't be a werecat. She shifts at will." I noted.

"Ah, but it is a myth that were-cats and werewolves only transform during a full moon." Carlisle countered, his eyes twinkling in excitement at being able to share knowledge. "According to legends, that was the only way were-creatures could change, but over time they evolved. If they fight against the beast inside, the transformation is forced only on the full moon and is very painful. A person who has accepted the were-creature as part of themselves can make the change at will, with minimal pain. If they change regularly, a full moon will not force a transformation."

"O-kay, so how can we tell which she is?" I asked, looking down at the furry head in my lap.

Carlisle paused to examine Bella briefly before continuing. "Typically it is easier to make a distinction because shifters are much more human in their actions in animal form, whereas were-cats tend to be forced into more base behaviors. In fact, even in human form were-cats will have a tendency to act on their animal instincts regularly. In Bella's case, it is difficult to tell due to her seeming unfamiliarity with human society."

"So there's no way to figure it out?" I asked, frustrated. For some reason, it was important to me to know exactly what Bella was. Even though I doubted whether it would really make any difference to either of us.

"Well, I did read one notable variance that could help us determine her species, but it wasn't verified in other accounts…"

"Just tell me!" I interrupted, my impatience once again on blatant display. Carlisle seemed slightly uncomfortable, which made my need to know even greater. Apparently steeling himself, Carlisle finally explained.

"It has to do with their menstruation cycles." Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the movement catching my eye. If my father looked uncomfortable, my younger brother looked like he wanted to pull the ears off his head. Esme rolled her eyes at both males, turning towards me with a comforting smile.

"As I understood it, shifters will continue to have normal menstruation cycles, like any human female. Werecats, on the other hand, have more sporadic cycles, where instead of bleeding they are overcome with an insatiable sexual appetite for a short time. It's described like they're going into heat, but in an extreme fashion. Honestly Carlisle, you _are_ a doctor." She said turning to her husband in amusement.

"How sporadic is sporadic?" I asked nervously, glancing down at the currently calm lioness, who appeared on the cusp of sleep.

Clearing his throat and trying to regain his professional demeanor, Carlisle jumped back in. "The account wasn't very clear on that point, I'm afraid, but their impression was that it was less often than the typical monthly female cycle, perhaps maybe only a few times a year. I contemplated all this new information for a few moments, but it seemed like it only raised more questions for me.

"What about aging? Shifters don't age after they start shifting, so if Bella started shifting young, wouldn't she have stayed that age?" Carlisle shook his head.

"That is true of the Quiletes, but it is not a universal trait by any means. Shifters can age normally, as any human would, or they may only age to the point where they're considered matured. Shifters are not like vampires or were-creatures. They're not homogenous, so not all of them have the same traits. Very few, in fact, seem to correspond to all shifters. If Bella is a were-cat, she should cease to age at the point her beast decides it's reached its optimum age. Usually that is linked to when it will meet its mate and how old the mate is."

"So… about mating?" I asked, trying to seem non-chalant, though it was obvious the act didn't fool either of my parents. Edward didn't seem to even be paying attention anymore. His eyes were unfocused and staring off towards the wall.

"Imprinting is one of the characteristics that seems to be universal among shifters. That is, they will recognize their mate immediately upon first seeing them and from that point forward both will feel a pull to always be close by. The love is very deep, and because of this, if one of the mated pair dies, the other will swiftly follow."

Did I feel a pull to Bella? I suppose you could call it that. I always want to be near her, to protect her. My love for her is certain, and I couldn't imagine what I would do if I lost her, but did that mean she imprinted on me?

"What about were-cats? How do they mate?" I asked.

"Actually, were-cats are very similar to vampires in their mating habits. The attraction and affection are instant, but the feelings grow deeper over time. They are very territorial and protective when it comes to mates, which is why, like vampires, they will typically claim their mate by marking them."

"Marking them?" interrupted, rejoining the conversation.

"Yes, with a bite, or by scent, sometimes both."

Hmm. So much to think about.

"So I guess we just wait and see?" I finally concluded, looking to Carlisle for assurance that he didn't already suspect Bella's species. He nodded.

"She has been in our company for less than a month, but in that time she has not had a menstruation cycle?" He looked to me to verify, and I nodded. "Well then we should know relatively soon." We all looked down at the lion in my lap, sleeping peacefully ignorant of the four sets of eyes carefully examining her.

Bella slept for a couple hours as I gently stroked her fur and watched television. My family had long since gone about their days. My parents unpacked before taking off for a hunt, while Edward had disappeared into his room. A wide yawn alerted me to the fact that Bella was waking and I smiled down at her, looking into beautiful green eyes.

"Hey sleepy." I murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She smiled a lazy cat smile, purring softly and I giggled. She climbed off the couch, stretching at my feet before pausing and staring right at me. "What?" I asked. She cocked her head to the side briefly, before nudging me in the thigh with her nose. I stood and she moved a bit away from me, looking back over her shoulder to see if I was going to follow her. I smiled, gesturing for her to lead on.

Bella led the way upstairs to my room, never getting more than a step or two ahead of me. Once we were inside, I turned to close my door and noted the sound of Bella changing behind me. When I faced back towards her, she was standing before me in all her naked glory.

"Liss, Carla S'may." She stated. The names of my parents were mumbled together like one word, but I still understood her. Moving towards her, I nodded.

"Yes Bella. Carlisle and Esme are home. Are you scared? Sad? What's wrong honey?" I questioned, regarding her silence with worry. Apparently my Bella comprehension wasn't as fluent as I thought, seeing as how I was having a hard time understanding what she was concerned about. Her brow furrowed, and I knew she was having trouble expressing herself. "Here, let's sit down." I said, leading her towards the bed. She immediately crawled up towards the headboard, leaning against it, and I sat down across from her, next to her extended legs, taking her hands in mine.

"Liss s'may hug." She finally said, looking at me like I should understand something, but I didn't.

"Okay, yes. I hugged Esme. What?" I asked, still confused. Bella huffed, her nose wrinkling, and eyes pinning me with a frustrated look. "I'm sorry Bella. I don't understand." I said softly, the confusion obvious on my face. This only seemed to incense Bella more and she pulled her hands from mine, gesturing at me wilding.

"No! Bella no…no…" She tried to say, still motioning to my expression, which I'm sure had only escalated with my befuddlement. A light bulb seemed to click on in my head and I took her hands back into mine to subdue her, leaning forward.

"You don't understand? What don't you understand, Bella? Tell me?" She remained flustered and upset about whatever it was I wasn't getting. So I moved my hands to cup her face. "Slow down sweetheart. What has you upset? Why are you mad?" I asked again once she had settled a bit, staring at me with slightly glassy eyes. Whatever was going on was apparently distressing her greatly and I felt like crying myself because I didn't know how to help her, to fix this. Bella took a few deep breaths before looking at me intensely and speaking.

"S'may bad. Liss mad. Carla s'may go. Come S'may hug Liss. S'may bad Liss no. Bella…Bella…Liss mad s'may! Was that?" She exclaimed unhappily. The words rushed from her mouth quickly, but still choppy. Regardless, I was fairly certain I followed her.

Smiling at the pout on her face, I ran my fingers through her hair and moving to straddle her legs so we were closer.

"Bella I'm not mad at Esme. Esme is not bad." I started to explain, but I saw the protest in Bella's eyes before she could find a way to express it. "Yes, before I was upset, I was mad, but I will always hug Esme." I tried to explain in a way she'd understand. "Bella," I paused thinking of how to say this, "Esme, Carlisle, Edward, Rose, Emmett. They're special to me. Like you. I care about them. They're my family."

"Fam-lee?" I smiled, kissing her briefly on the lips.

"Yes, family. Family is good Bella. We get mad, sad, all other kinds of things, but family is always good." I stated.

"Carla s'may good?" She asked, looking less than confident in this assertion. I smiled, wrapping my arms around her.

"Yes Bella, they're good. They're not bad to Liss or to Bella." I confirmed. She didn't look convinced, but seemed to accept what I said regardless. She trusted me and I beamed at her for that, offering another, longer kiss as a reward.

Downstairs, I heard the sound of my parents returning and thought perhaps Bella would be willing to greet them in person now that our misunderstanding was cleared up. Getting up from the bed I held my hand out to the still naked woman.

"Bella clothes." I sang and giggled at her frown. Her dislike for clothing has never wavered, despite her now wearing them regularly.

Bella allowed me to help her into some shorts and a light shirt much easier than earlier this morning thankfully, but when I moved towards the door, she didn't follow.

"Bella, come with me. We're going downstairs. No cat please." I said giving her a stern look and she huffed again, not moving.

"No." She muttered petulantly, turning to crawl back onto the bed, but before she could I was by her side, wrapping my arms around her waist and forcing her to turn to me.

"Bella. Please." I said, giving her my best pout. She stayed firm, so I nuzzled my head under her chin, peppering tiny kisses across her collarbone. I heard her breath hitch briefly when I moved up to her neck, but she still stayed silent. Pulling back, I looked into her eyes again before leaning up and capturing her lips in a very heated kiss, quite a bit more passionate than our usual embrace. She reacted quickly, her tongue eagerly seeking out my own and her arms moving to my hips unconsciously. My hands snuck beneath her shirt to caress the small of her back, and I felt her knead my own waist in response, a small growl beginning to vibrate in her chest. Her green eyes were blazing with a rarely seen lust when I finally pulled away. She tried to recapture my lips, but I danced out of her arms towards the door. "Come with me Bella or no more Liss kisses." I couldn't help giggling as her jaw literally dropped open, eyes widening in panic. "Come on." I knew I had her, because she growled at me before stomping her way right passed me and out the door. Her tantrum didn't last though. Once we got to the landing, she moved right back to my side and I quickly took her hand in a soothing manner. "No cat." I reminded her, as we slowly descended the stairs. She growled again, but followed me anyway, inching herself just behind me when we reached the bottom and moved towards the sitting area where Carlisle, Esme, and Edward all sat waiting for us.

Bella's other hand came up to grip the arm of the one attached to her and I stopped briefly, turning to make sure she was okay. I noticed the small tremor running through her body and her face looked worried, but not overly distressed.

"It's okay Bella." I soothed, patting her hand.

"Hi Bella." Edward called from his spot, grabbing the attention of Bella, who relaxed just slightly when she noticed his familiar face. It was a welcome distraction, and smiled over at him.

"Hi Dee." She whispered, barely loud enough to be heard, before moving behind me and nuzzling her face into my neck. I held her hands as they wrapped around my stomach seeking comfort and safety, smiling happily at my parents.

"Bella. Do you want to say hello to Carlisle and Esme too?" I said softly, turning my head so I could see her. She shook her own in the negative, not saying a word. I sighed, but didn't push her.

"Well, it's nice to meet you in person Bella." My father said, and Bella's eyes lifted to take in his smiling face.

"Yes, I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, Bella. I am happy you're feeling more comfortable." Esme added, and Bella only spared her a quick glance before moving her head to the other side of my neck, hiding her face away from their sights.

"I think their was a small misunderstanding, so it may take a little while before Bella warms back up to you." I told my mother sympathetically. She nodded, looking hurt, but didn't say anything. "It's not that she doesn't like you Esme. It's my fault really, for behaving so badly before. I gave her the wrong idea." I was quick to reassure the maternal woman. I don't think she could bear anyone truly hating her.

"I understand. I'll just have to make sure that Bella and I get to know each other better." I swallowed the growl that threatened to come out with her words, reminding my beast that Esme wasn't a threat to our relationship with Bella. I was careful to keep the smile on my face despite the turmoil inside, for Bella's benefit. Actually, I was quite proud of my achievement. A couple weeks before, I would have most likely lashed out without thinking.

"Absolutely." I said with as much enthusiasm as I could force. Esme smiled, moving under Carlisle's welcoming arm. "So…anyone up for Candyland?" I asked. Hey, it worked last time.

**A/N I know the wait was long. Sorry! I am curious to know what people think Bella is. Or what you want her to be? That is, of the people still reading this.  
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	9. Mother vs Mate

Chapter 8

I was on my way home from a quick hunt when I heard some yelling in the house. Hurrying my pace, I swept in through the back door to see Bella backing away from Esme who was sternly eyeing my girl and pointing to the corner.

"What's going on?" I asked, starting to move towards Bella.

"Liss!" She called out, holding her arms out for me to come to her.

"Liss…" Esme started sharply, before shaking her head and beginning again… "Alice, leave her be. She's being punished."

"Punished?" I asked in shock, looking between my timid girl and my mother. It was truly a testament to the past week's progress that this situation was even happening.

"Yes." She answered shortly before turning back to Bella. "In the corner Bella. Go." She said firmly, motioning for Bella to face the wall. My girl's shoulders slumped as she followed the directions, glancing in my direction once more with sad, pleading eyes. My immediate instinct was to run to her and gather her up in a hug, soothing her, but a hand on my shoulder pulled me back and into the kitchen.

"Alice, we discussed this. Bella needs discipline just like any other child. She needs to learn her boundaries and to control her emotions." Esme reminded me with a raised eyebrow. I huffed crossing my arms. I didn't like this one bit.

"What did she do? Does she really need to be punished?" I asked, eyes wandering back to the living room, even though I could no longer see her. As far as I was concerned, I disciplined Bella just fine by withholding kisses and peanut butter, but _apparently_ my parents preferred a different approach. When Carlisle, Esme and I agreed that they would fill a parental role for Bella, just yesterday, I didn't expect the change to be so obvious and quick. Suddenly, Bella had other figures to look to besides me, and I wasn't yet sure how I liked it.

It seemed like a great idea at the time.

We were heading into the second week since Carlisle and Esme arrived home. Thankfully, Emmett and Rosalie had decided to extend their vacation and wouldn't be home for while longer. In their absence, particularly Rosalie's, it was easier for Esme and Carlisle to gain Bella's trust. For the first two days, Bella was glued to my side, not that I really minded, but she was still very tense in the presence of my parents. She took to Carlisle first, with his soft gentle voice and lack of history with her, it was easier to coax her into his presence to get them familiar with each other. He had taken off an extra few days from work, both for the purpose of helping teach Bella and to do more research. Once we'd passed the month mark with no signs of Bella menstruating, we started leaning towards were-cat. Unfortunately, a conversation with a few of Carlisle's friends revealed that were-cats gained a marking of some sort at the spot where they were bitten. Bella doesn't have any markings. _Trust me_. I searched thoroughly, in the interest of science, of course. She didn't seem to mind though.

This discovery put us right back where we started…with absolutely no idea. I chose not to dwell on it, since it wouldn't really matter to me one way or the other.

Getting Bella to reconcile with Esme took a little more work, but since it was mostly my fault in the first place, I did all I could to help fix the situation. I spent plenty of time with Esme and Bella, always being sure to offer hugs and kisses to the cheek for my mother, reinforcing the idea that I still loved her. Esme seemed to have taken of the challenge as well. She made all of Bella's meals and sat in the room when Bella and I watched television or read aloud. Bella hadn't started learning to read, but she liked to be read to and I'd follow the words with my finger for her to see. Sometimes Esme would watch and comment on Bella's drawing. The turning point seemed to be when she finally succeeded in getting Bella to draw her something.

***Flashback***

"That's very good Bella!" My mother praised. Bella was drawing at the coffee table while I caught up on the latest issue of Vogue. Bella only glanced up at her, before flipping over to a blank page. "Bella?" Esme asked, trying to gain my girl's attention. She paused turning her bright green eyes onto my mother. "Will you draw something for me? Will you draw me a flower?" She asked gently. Bella stared at her silently for a moment before looking back at me. I'd put the magazine down, watching their interaction closely.

"Go ahead sweetie. Flower. For Esme." I urged, gesturing to her blank sheet. She sighed, but obediently picked up a brittle piece of charcoal and began to sketch what looked to be a daisy or wildflower of some kind. Setting my magazine to the side, I scooted forward in my seat, legs going to either side of Bella's back as I began playing with her hair, watching her draw. When she finished, she handed me the notebook and I tore the page out, silently asking if I could give it to Esme. Bella didn't object, so I offered the paper to my mother whose eyes became glassy as she looked over the picture.

"Oh Bella. This is beautiful. Thank you!" She praised softly, swiftly moving into the kitchen. Bella watched, her face scrunching in confusion, before she got up, following Esme without direction. I came up behind her where she stopped in the entranceway to the kitchen. She was watching my mother attach her drawing to the refrigerator with four magnets. I barely caught the tiny smile slip onto her face before she turned back towards me, silently leading us back to the living room.

***END***

After that, it seemed like Bella was giving Esme a little more leeway. Before, she was automatically distrusting, so even though it wasn't a 100% turnaround, it was a vast improvement.

Edward was also helping to teach Bella, though not about academia. So far he had introduced her to about a quarter of his music collection and taught her to play some of the simpler video games. By the end of the week, she was even comfortable enough with Edward that I felt okay leaving her in his company while I went to get her more clothes. She was desperately in need of them, after ripping and soiling so many. At least I can be grateful that it won't be a big problem in the future. Thank the Lord! Bella finally learned to undress before relieving herself! It was one of the accomplishments in the first week of Esme and Carlisle being home that I was most proud of.

"She lost her temper during video games and smashed the coffee table." Esme stated, bringing me back to the current situation of why Bella was being punished. I peered back into the living room to see Edward, who I didn't notice earlier, was cleaning up the shards of broken glass and putting the destroyed pieces of wood in a trash bin.

"I'm sure she didn't mean to. It was probably Ed…"

"Alice." Esme said sternly, cutting me off from blaming my younger brother. "You know that Bella needs to take responsibility for her actions. It's part of being a human, and an adult."

"Well, I still don't like her being punished." I pouted, still trying to refrain from going back to cuddle Bella. Esme smiled at me.

"Of course you don't, honey. She's your mate, your angel. She doesn't do anything wrong in your eyes except perhaps ruin her clothes." Esme teased lightly. I huffed.

"Yeah, well…" I paused, not able to think of anything.

"I know this is hard for you. Letting other people have some control in your mates life was never going to be an easy adjustment, but we talked about this, and we decided, as a group…"

"That you and Carlisle would be Bella's authority figures. I know." I cut Esme off, causing her to smirk.

"I believe we used the term parental figures, but that's essentially right. It's better this way. You do know that, don't you?" I nodded, but remained pouting. "A mate loves unconditionally and you do a wonderful job of providing that, but Bella needs some discipline and structure, that as her mate, you're just not willing or able to enforce. As it happens, I don't like punishing her either, but it's necessary for her to learn." Esme repeated the arguments she and Carlisle had made the day before. I agreed, more or less, but that didn't mean I liked it. Seeing Bella sad, or upset in anyway made my heart clench. The idea of her being punished, and not by me, seemed like allowing other people to make her sad. It just felt wrong.

And so, despite finally relenting and letting Esme follow through with her punishment for Bella, I remained just out of sight in the kitchen, in my own self-imposed time out, just waiting for my girl to be released.

Finally, Esme got up from her place on the couch after what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes, and walked over to where Bella stood. I eased my way around the corner, preparing to launch myself at Bella, who had turned around when she heard Esme approaching.

"Okay Bella. You're done." She said, keeping her face firm. "Do you know why I made you stand over here?" Esme asked, motioning to where Bella stood. It took her a few moments to understand the question, but she nodded and mumbled, in what I thought was an adorable fashion.

"Bella bad." I wanted so badly to coo at her.

"What was bad, Bella?" Esme urged the girl, who just stood there quietly. It was obvious after a minute that Bella didn't know what to say. "You got mad and you broke the table." Bella nodded glumly, but I was suspicious of whether she really knew what Esme said, and had to hide a smirk.

"Bad table." Bella tried to repeat, which broke my silence and I started giggling causing both women to look at me.

"No, Bad Bella. You broke the table. No table." Esme tried to explain, pointing to where the mess had since been cleaned up and there was an empty space where the coffee table once stood.

"She doesn't understand, Esme." I tried to defend, taking a few steps closer.

"Alice. Please. She understands just fine." My mother said, watching Bella with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you Bella?" Bella looked pleadingly in my direction, and I couldn't help myself. I had to swoop in and save her.

"Bella's sorry, Esme. Aren't you sweetie? Say you're sorry." I said, wrapping an arm around Bella's waist and giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"Sawry." Bella said quietly, turning her face into my shoulder and away from Esme's disappointed gaze, although she appeared more irritated with me than Bella.

"Alice, you can't…"

"I know, I know, sorry." I muttered my own apology, thinking it was worth it to have Bella back in my arms.

"No shopping for two weeks." She stated, causing my mouth to fall open.

"What? What did I do?" I tried to keep from shrieking and upsetting Bella.

"You can't interfere like that Alice. Bella needs to learn to take responsibility. You can't always jump in and save her." Esme said, causing me to frown. I will always save Bella.

"Fine." I said sulking and pulling Bella away up to our room.

I'd barely closed the door before Bella was already undressing. Throwing her clothes as far away as possible. I giggled, swiftly collecting them and laying them out on my bed to be worn again later. Bella had moved over to my window wall taking in the forest. I'd been able to get her out every so often this week, but with Carlisle and Esme set on upping Bella's learning regiment, she'd been stuck inside more than normal.

A knock at my door distracted me, and surprised Bella, whose head whipped around, a snarl on her lips. After she took in the scent, though, she relaxed, turning back to the window, while I moved to answer the door, where I knew Carlisle was waiting. I only opened the door enough for my head to pop out, keeping Bella concealed from view. Though I was willing to be more lenient in Bella's association with others, some things were out of the question, namely, others seeing her nude.

"Alice, I wondered if I might be able to take a couple samples from Bella for testing. I think it might help shed a little more light on the question of her species." My father stated without preamble. In his hands he had a tray with several containers and medical supplies. Glancing down at it quickly I raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of samples?" I asked, already thinking how badly Bella would react to being stuck with a needle.

"Nothing complicated, just a small blood sample and a DNA swab from her mouth." He said, looking at me hopefully.

"Well if they're that simple, then I'll get them and bring them to your office." I told him in such a way that he wouldn't dare argue. I may not be a doctor, but I had training as a nurse, so these would be easy enough for me to obtain. Plus, I hoped Bella may be more willing if I was the one approaching her.

Carlisle nodded, handing me the supplies before turning back down the hallway. I took a deep breath before slipping back inside and closing the door with my foot. By this point, Bella's attention was completely on me, or more accurately, what I had in my hands and she moved towards me curiously taking in the tray's contents.

"Was that?" She asked, sitting on the bed beside where I'd laid the tray. When she started to reach for the syringe I grabbed her wrist gently, and pulled it to my lips for a kiss. The distraction only lasted for a moment before Bella's eyes darted back to all the shiny objects.

"It's…" I started to explain, but paused, wondering how I could in such a way to make her actually understand. "It's for a game, Bella." I decided.

"Game?" she asked excitedly, her green eyes glowing. I smiled at her improved pronunciation.

"Yes, a game. It's called Doctor."

"Dotter?"

"Doc-tor, Bella." I corrected, carefully taking the packaged swab from the tray and holding it up to show her. "See this?" I unwrapped it, holding it back up. "This is a swab." Bella mouthed the word, her nose scrunching up. "What you do is, you open your mouth wide, like this…" I said, showing her briefly. "Then, you take the swab and rub it like this…" I continued, opening my mouth again and rubbing the cotton against the inside of my cheek. "See?" I asked, smiling at Bella, as if it'd been fun. She observed me skeptically for a moment before taking the used swab from my hand and sticking it in her mouth, chewing on the end.

With a look of disgust, she spat out the cotton and stared at me accusingly.

"No food!" She complained, pouting.

"I didn't say it was food, Bella. You weren't supposed to eat it!" I exclaimed trying not to laugh at the look on her face. "Here." I said, unwrapping a new swab from the tray. "Open wide." I urged, opening my own mouth so she'd mirror me. As soon as she followed my directions I quickly swept the cotton along the inside of her mouth before sealing the swab in a container on the tray. Bella was staring at me, her mouth still open. "You can close your mouth now, Bella." I giggled, gently pushing on her chin to close it.

"Liss. Dotter, no fun." She stated, looking at me with confusion and concern. She must have though I was crazy to think this would be a good game. Laughing I just shook my head and moved closer to her.

"It's not fun, huh? Hmm, well maybe we weren't playing it right?" I suggested, smirking as I swung my leg over her lap. "I think I need another sample." I teased, to the uncomprehending woman in front of me, not that it mattered. When I leaned in and whispered, "open wide," Bella eagerly accepted my invading tongue, and I soon lost myself in our kiss. I almost entirely forgot my original reason for this distraction…well one of the reasons. Bella growled, as my hands slipped down her sides to grasp her hips firmly. Once I was sure she was completely absorbed by my mouth, I bit down on her bottom lip at the same time as my nail cut a small laceration in her side. With impressive speed, even for a vampire, I had coaxed a few drops of the deep red liquid into a tube. It was lucky I did, because as soon as my hand returned to soothe the cut, it was gone. Pulling away, I stared down at where my fingers mindlessly drew patterns on the bare skin of her hip, the completely unblemished bare skin. Not even a scar left as a reminder of the wound.

"Liss?" Bella asked me breathlessly, staring at me with half-lidded eyes.

"That's Doctor Liss, to you." I said, claiming her lips once more.

"Alice! Emmett and Rosalie are on the phone. Do you want to say hello?" Esme's voice called up from downstairs, causing me to part from Bella with a snarl on my own lips. Quickly reining in my displeasure, I placed one more peck on Bella's lips before moving off of her lap and calling my negative response downstairs. Pacing my room in an attempt to cool myself down, I only stopped when warm arms wrapped around my waist from behind.

"Liss mad?" Bella asked sadly. I turned in her arms with a smile.

"No Bella. I'm not mad. Liss is good." I told her, before pulling away and taking my backpack from the end of the bed. If I was going to be able to keep myself composed for both Bella and my family, we would need a little more privacy on occasion. "Clothes, Bella. We're going outside." I told her succinctly, taking pleasure in the excitement sparking to life in her eyes.

Without any arguing, Bella pulled her shorts back on, and managed to slip on her shirt, after a mild tangling incident. I threw a few clothes in my backpack while I waited for her and then taking her hand, led Bella downstairs to the kitchen. I started stuffing a bunch of the already prepared Tupperware containers from the fridge into my bag when Esme and Carlisle walked it.

"What's going on? Where are you going?"

"Bella and I are going camping tonight. We'll be back tomorrow."

"Alice…" Esme started to protest, but I cut her off with a silent plea on my face, and she nodded. "Okay, but be careful."

"Your samples are up on my bed Carlisle." I told my father quickly before darting over to both my parents and offering a hug and a kiss.

"Stay safe." Esme called to us as Bella practically dragged me out the back door.

We were both laughing by the time we reached our little hideaway in the woods. The grass in the little field had grown quite long, almost reaching my knees, but it didn't seem to bother Bella who immediately disrobed and took off still giggling. As had become typical, I also parted with my clothes, enjoying the simplicity of our sanctuary. Allowing Bella some time to frolic, I started picking wildflowers for a bracelet.

It seemed quite sudden that I could no longer hear Bella's laughter, or her moving around. In fact I heard nothing except the wind gently blowing through the trees around us.

"Bella?" I called out, a mild panic starting to form in my chest. "BELLA?" I called again more loudly, spinning around in the small field to search for her. I couldn't even smell her anymore. It was as if her smell had been absorbed by nature, indistinguishable.

About two seconds before I was completely consumed by fear, a sound to my right alerted me to another presence. I turned to it just in time to see a white blur pouncing on me and knocking me to the ground. Before I even had time to adjust, Bella turned back, her body still pinning me to the ground, but now a feral smile spreading her slightly wet lips. Her warm breaths swept across my face, and I couldn't help a small sigh escaping me. Reaching a hand up to her face, I softly caressed her cheek, before smirking and flipping her over, playfully wrestling her into submission beneath me. My vampire purred at the conquest, particularly, when a tiny whimper escaped the squirming feline girl.

My celebration was premature, and distracted by the pleasant feelings flooding through me, I was easily overtaken by that same girl. We continued to wrestle, rolling through the grass and trying to pin each other, both of us laughing, until my leg got tangled in Bella's, pressing against the warmth of her center. And like a switch, playtime was over.

"Bella?' I asked tentatively, watching the growling girl next to me speculatively. Half crab crawling and half scooting, I tried to put some space between us. I knew that look in her eyes, and though it was rare, I knew what it meant. My wild woman was back.

Bella pounced again, but this time, she had another goal in mind. With strength not normally shown, Bella maneuvered me into the position she wanted and wasted no time beginning our "mating". Like the first time she mounted me, I some how managed to be the bitch, not that I really minded. There were no distractions this time. No interruptions. No judgmental family members. No, it was completely up to me whether I allowed this to happen…

"Lisssss." Bella grunted in my ear, her ample breasts pressing into my back as she let her hips thrust unrestrained against my backside. Our bodies slapped loudly together making my brain fog with arousal.

"Ohhhmmmmgod." I moaned as her teeth nipped at my shoulder, occasionally sweeping over the bites with her tongue. No clothes separated us this time, which Bella seemed to appreciate, as her fingers slid around my hips and down along the front of my thighs.

My breath caught in my throat as she managed to angle her hips just right to hit my clit, as I arched my back, giving her better access. "Oh yes." I hummed appreciatively as Bella picked up more speed. Her hot breath lapped at my neck and back, snarls and grunts escaping her mouth freely. "My good girl." I moaned at a particularly delicious thrust. My eyes widened when I heard a tiny whimper from behind me, followed by a long whine, one that I instinctively knew meant Bella was reaching her limits. Slipping a hand down along my belly, I easily found my clit, helping myself along.

"Fuck." I gasped as the intensity of the heat spreading through my body grew.

"Liss." Bella hissed before tightening her grip on my hips and groaning into my back, as her pistoning hips slowed. The wetness I felt hitting my backside with each hump sent me reeling, and I moaned loudly falling over the edge myself. My muscles turning to jelly, I collapsed on the ground completely, Bella's weight still on top of me. We both laid there silently for a few minutes, Bella catching her breath as I reflected on what just happened.

She initiated it, right? She wanted to. I wasn't taking advantage. No. Regardless of what Rose said, I knew Bella cared about me. I wasn't just some random girl for her to mate with.

I felt Bella sliding off my back and turned on my side to face her. She had an adorably sleepy smile on her face and looked more content than I'd ever seen her. As much as I wanted to figure out what it meant to her, I could see her eye lids drooping. She missed her afternoon catnap, after all. Pulling her into my side, I placed a kiss to her head as she rested it on my chest, murmuring incoherently.

"Sleep now, Baby. I've got you." I whispered, letting my hands caress her hair as she snuggled closer, eyes closed.

**A/N I felt like the story was getting a little too stagnant, and I wanted to move it along a little, hence the time jump in the beginning with the flash back. Hopefully you don't hate it. I don't think I'm really counting the end of this as love-making, more like mutual masturbation, but you can all take from it what you will. Thanks for reading! And for those who want to know, I'll be posting the next chapter in the princess story, if not today, then very shortly. **


	10. New Territory

**a/n Okay the only thing I'm going to say is, cut me some slack on my "scientific" explanation. You'll know what I mean when you read it. Thanks!**

Chapter 10

Bella ended up sleeping straight through until dawn, comfortably curled around my body, a constant rumbling purr in her chest. I knew I had an idiotic smile on my face the whole time, but I couldn't help it. The sound of Bella's grunts and moans still lingered in my ears, as I reminisced about our time together earlier. A dirty thought had been spinning through my mind on and off during the night, which revolved around getting Bella comfortable in a harness. Because if she was going to insist on our mating this way, I'd need to find a way to work with it.

With a loud yawn Bella finally awoke, stretching in her usual full body posture. When she saw me watching her, she smiled and tapped her lips. Giggling I leaned in and kissed her deeply, enjoying how easy this action had become for us.

"Good Morning Bella. How are you?" I asked when we finally parted and Bella blinked away the glazed look in her eyes.

"Good." She said, still smiling widely. We both looked down when her stomach growled and I darted to my backpack for a couple containers of food for her. Bella devoured her breakfast with even more gusto than usual and then managed to drag me into a game of…tag, I suppose you'd call it. Although, rather than tagging it was more like pouncing. Too quickly, the morning passed and we were running back towards the house.

Esme and Carlisle were sitting at the kitchen table when we walked in and I raised an eyebrow. "Were you waiting for us?"

"Actually, yes. I wanted to talk to you about the test results."

"OH! Okay, umm….just one second." I said, holding a finger up to my parents before pulling Bella into the living room with me. Edward was lying on the couch reading a book and I smiled at my luck. "Bella! I think Edward wants to play Candyland! Don't you Edward?" I asked, letting him know with my eyes that this wasn't really a question. While I didn't necessarily _need_ to distract Bella while I talked to Carlisle, it would still be easier and faster if I spoke to him alone.

"Alice…" Edward started to protest, sitting up on the couch.

"Please Edward, just play with her for like ten minutes." I pleaded. Bella's eyes were darting between the two of us, unsure what was going on. Sighing Edward finally got up, but the smile on his face said he wasn't really annoyed at all. He liked spending time with Bella. Even if it was playing a mindless board game.

"Fine. Come on Bella. I'll even let you be Blue." He said, shuffling over to the cupboard and pulling out the game. As soon as she saw it, Bella's eyes brightened and she immediately found her seat at the coffee table. Kissing her briefly on the cheek, I left with one last grateful smile to my little brother.

Darting back into the kitchen, I noticed that Esme had made herself busy fixing lunch for Bella, leaving just Carlisle waiting for me at the table. Quickly taking my seat, I folded my hands in front of me, waiting for whatever news he had.

"Okay, first of all, shortly after I started analyzing Bella's DNA and blood samples, Astor finally returned my call. I believe you remember I told you he was the foremost expert on supernatural beings and worked for the Volturi a long time before I first arrived there?" It wasn't really a necessary reminder, since a vampires brain was like a limitless computer for storing information and recalling it instantly. A handy gift when you live forever. "His insights actually proved very useful in ascertaining exactly what I was seeing in Bella's samples. Do you know the science behind how a werewolf or werecat transforms?" Carlisle asked, his expression obviously excited about sharing this new knowledge. I shook my head. I figured it was magic or something. What other explanation could there be? "While the big how and why of the ability are still unexplained, the basic mechanics of the shift are known. Essentially, when a werecat is bitten, there body creates an alternate string of DNA. Whichever string takes the dominant role at a given time shapes the creature, as either a human or an animal. Therefore, if you look at the DNA of someone who is a werecat, you will notice that it appears as if they were born of one complete cat and one complete human, but a human and a cat didn't mate to create them. Their human DNA still retains the combined traits from two separate human parents. While the cat deny does not. Do you understand?" Carlisle asked, practically bouncing in his chair. I stared blankly at him.

"Not really?" A quick frown came upon Carlisle face, but quickly faded back into enthusiasm and he leaned forward in his chair.

"Okay, think of it like percentages. Actually yes! This will be much better!" My father exclaimed to himself. I heard Esme's quiet chuckle from the kitchen and couldn't help smiling a little. "Okay, two lions mating creates a cub that's 100% lion." I nodded. "Two humans mate and create a 100% human baby." Again a nod. "Now what would the offspring be if a human and a lion were to mate, if that was conceivable?"

"A baby that's half lion, half human? Bella's mom had sex with a lion?" I shrieked. Carlisle who had been nodding at my first conclusion became startled with my exclamation.

"What? No! No, of course not!" He said, laughing a bit. I huffed, not appreciating my ignorance being a point of amusement for him. "But that is essentially the DNA make up of a werecat. They have their combined human parental DNA and then a solid cat DNA from their maker, provided through the bite. So if you then mate a werecat with a human, you would logically get a child who is a quarter cat."

"Okay, first of all, Bella wasn't bitten. We already confirmed this. Second of all, what's your point." I asked, feeling what little patience I had to begin with wearing thin. Carlisle gave me a stern look for interrupting and ruining his fun.

"Please just let me finish, Alice." He said, while I fell back against my seat, crossing my arms. "What I was going to explain was that because the cat DNA never had two sets to draw from in creating an offspring, any child born to a werecat and a human wouldn't receive any cat DNA and therefore would simply be like any normal human. It is because Bella has no bite marks that I was curious if there would be anyway for her to be a born werecat, but it seemed unlikely when I was provided this information from Astor. This is why werecats are so rare. They do not breed other were cats nor do they frequently bite humans. They are notoriously aloof creatures, that tend to bond more easily with their inner cat, making them less susceptible to forced transformation where the beasts instincts completely take over. A werecat, who keeps their mind about them when transformed, wouldn't bite a human, unless for some sadistic pleasure."

"Carlisle, I'm still not really seeing what your trying to say about Bella. What is she? Cause it seems like you telling me its impossible for her to be a werecat, and at the same time hinting that she is." I said, my frustration evident.

"Bella is truly unique. I'd wager that there are few if any like her to ever be born." He started quietly, urging me with his tone to just listen. "Her DNA shows that she is half feline, as you would expect a werecat to be, but both sets were formed out of different parents. To someone unfamiliar with the supernatural, it would look like she had four parents, two human and two cat, but in reality…"

"Both her parents were werecats?" I asked. Carlisle nodded, a wide smile on his face.

"Astor didn't know of any mated pairs. Because they're so rare, they can spend many lifetimes never seeing another of their kind."

"Okay, so where are they now?" I asked, my smile falling when I realized Bella had in one way or another been separated from her parents.

"I'm not sure. There's countless possibilities for why Bella is here on her own. It may simply be that she'd grown up and felt the need to separate herself."

"I don't think so. If her parents were both humans originally, why didn't they teach her how to be human?" I countered and Carlisle nodded.

"I concur with that judgment. If I were to speculate, I'd guess that either her parents had completely renounced the human world and stayed in cat form, which, while uncommon, is not completely unheard of for werecreatures. The other, more likely possibility is that she was somehow separated from them at a very young age, before she'd really developed enough to learn lasting human lessons." We both considered these theories for a few minutes before Esme finally interrupted the silence, placing a plate of cut up apples and slices of flank steak on the table.

"Bella! Lunch!" She called, before turning to me. "Alice, Carlisle and I were thinking that perhaps after lunch today we could all take Bella out for a while." I looked at her anxiously, then to the quickly arriving form of Bella who had taken up her seat and started ripping apart the food.

"She hasn't been around a lot of strangers before. Or any actually." I cautioned, worriedly watching my girl obliviously eat her lunch.

"Well this could be like a practice run. We were thinking of taking her to Sally's and if she did well maybe one of the other little stores in town. It's hardly ever crowded there during the week, even in the summer." She qualified. I still wasn't convinced. Sally's was a possibility, I suppose. It was a tiny little ice cream and snack shop tucked just slightly in the woods, right outside our small main street. It marked the entrance to several hiking trails and a dirt road that led out to the beach. Commercialization on the beach itself was restricted, so anything you might need you had to pick up in town or at Sally's before heading out. It had a small picnic area near by, that was out of the way of any through traffic and since today was mostly overcast with scattered showers, I figured it wouldn't be very crowded. Regardless, putting Bella in any kind of stressful or dangerous situation was directly going against my instincts to protect her.

"Well I suppose we could ask her." I suggested, thinking that at the mention of other people Bella would say no. Unfortunately, once again, I found I didn't know her quite as well as I thought.

"Bella." Esme coaxed her to look up from the last bit of food she was scrounging off the plate. Her cheeks still full, Bella paused, meeting my mother's eyes. There was hardly any anxiety in her features anymore, which pleased me greatly. I hated her being afraid. "Do you want to go with Carlisle, Alice, Edward and I to the town. We can get some ice cream outside."

Bella's eyes lit up at both ice cream and outside, mostly outside. For a minute I wanted to accuse Esme of tricking her, by making her think she'd be going to the woods, but I suppose, technically we were going to be in the wilderness.

"Yes." Bella managed once she'd swallowed the food in her mouth. She turned to me smiling widely. Taking her hands I tried to get her to think about it more.

"Bella. There's going to be other people there. Not family. And no cat." I explained, watching Bella's smile dampen dramatically. "Do you still want to go. I promise we'll be safe. Nothing bad will happen." I promised earnestly. I was torn really. I didn't want Bella to go, if it would cause her discomfort, but at the same time, I could see where it would be good for her. She needed to get out of the house more. I didn't want her to feel trapped.

"Bella go." She stated, causing Esme and Carlisle to smile happily before leaving the room to get ready. I could hear Edward already changing upstairs after he'd put away the board game. Once Bella had literally licked her plate clean, I dragged her upstairs for a quick shower and dressed her in her most conservative clothes: a pair of basketball shorts and a thick strap tank top. I looked down at her feet and realized it might be strange for her to go with no shoes. Frowning I considered the options and ran back into the closet, pulling out several of the pairs I'd bought for her.

I figured flip flops would be the least inhibitive, so I tried those first. Slipping the thong between her toes, I looked up at her from my place kneeling on the floor.

"Okay Bella, try those. Go walk." I reiterated when she didn't move. Bella took a couple steps, looking awkward and unsure. Turning back to me she frowned.

"No Liss." She said simply, rather than tearing them apart, which I figured was an improvement.

"At least give them a real try Bella." I darted over to the other side of the room. "Come here." I urged, opening my arms. Bella's face scrunched up, but she tried to move towards me, She looked like a gangly deer taking it's first steps, lifting her feet extra high. It all went to hell when the flip flops actually started performing their namesake. Bella didn't like that at all. Her eyes widened and she jumped trying to run towards me, only making the sounds at her feet louder. "Liss! She screamed. And I had to hold back my laughter at how adorable she was. Swiftly moving towards her, I wrapped her in a hug.

"Oh, honey. It's okay. It was just the shoes. Here." I smiled, bending down to take them off her feet. Bella glared at them hatefully as I tossed them away from us. "Let's try something a little quieter, huh?" I asked, as Bella retook her seat on the edge of my bed. Looking down, at my selection I sighed. Sneakers? No, probably not. Boat shoes? Maybe? If not them, all I had left were another pair of sandals that had straps so it wouldn't slap against her feet. I ended up trying the sandals first, but the thickness of the soul was a little too unsteady for Bella and she looked even more awkward in them.

"Alright, last try." I told her, slipping the thin cloth Sperry's into place. Pulling Bella to her feet, I led her forward a few steps. "What do you think?" I asked. Bella glanced down, her knees bowing out to the side as she looked at her feet. "Bella?" I asked again. She still didn't answer, but took a few more steps on her own before turning back to face me with a neutral expression. Moving towards her, I wrapped my arms around her waist. "What if I throw in an added incentive?" I whispered before capturing her lips in a lingering kiss. When I pulled back, it was apparently too soon, since Bella just followed, retaking my lips and forcing her tongue into my mouth. I moaned when I felt her hands move to my sides, clutching my hips firmly and pulling me to her tighter.

"Edward? Alice? Bella? Are you three ready to go?" Esme's voice called up from downstairs. Pulling away from Bella I rolled my eyes. I swear she does this on purpose.

"Are you okay, Bella?" I asked quietly, glancing down at her shoes. She followed my eyes briefly before shrugging with her hand. I suppose that was the best I'd get.

"Taking her hand I led her down the stairs to the foyer where Esme and Carlisle were waiting, wearing slightly formal clothes for a casual outing by today's standards. Esme was in a short sleeved blouse and pencil skirt, her make up light and natural. Carlisle was wearing khaki pants and button up shirt. He rarely wore anything elaborate, except for special occasions with Esme.

"Where's Edward?" I asked, curiously, noting his absence.

"He said he was just getting changed, but he's been in his bathroom for quite a while. Perhaps you should check on him, Carlisle?" Esme suggested, with concern, looking to her husband. Not a second later we heard the telltale movement upstairs and moments later, Edward was making his way down the stairs towards us. My eyes widened in surprise before narrowing suspiciously.

My baby brother, while not completely hopeless with regards to fashion was similar to Carlisle in his tastes. Plain, boring, traditional. So when he came down the stairs looking like a punk version of the models in an Abercrombie and Fitch store, and smelling like one too, my curiosity was immediately raised. The dark maroon button up shirt he was wearing was left open bearing his sculpted (for a fourteen year old) chest. He was also wearing black cargo shorts and sneakers, but had spiked his hair with gel and wore shades over his eyes. The most absurd and blatant additions were a choke collar and two leather bracelets, meant to look badass I suppose, but on Edward's preppy-self it just looked ridiculous.

"Edward! What are you wearing? Go change and take that gunk out. Why would you do that to your beautiful hair?"

"Honey…" Carlisle started at the same time Edward whined an accompanying, "Mommmm."

"No, we are not leaving here if you are going to look like a hooligan. I don't want people to think we're raising you poorly." She said, pointing back up the stairs. I caught Edward's eyes flash towards Bella before he crossed his arms.

"No. I'm going to wear this or I'm not going." He argued stubbornly.

"In that case you can just stay in your room until we return and your father can speak to you about your behavior." Esme led the way out the door, Carlisle following behind her.

"Just who were you trying to impress Eddie?" I questioned, my eyes still narrowed at him, while pulling Bella closer to me by the waist.

"No one! Just forget it!" He muttered stomping back up the stairs. "And don't call me Eddie!"

"Come on Bella." I said, tugging her out of the house.

"Dee go?" She asked, looking back towards the stairs.

"No, honey. Dee's an idiot, so we're going without him." I know she didn't really understand because she just looked at me confused, but I didn't bother to explain it any better. Esme and Carlisle had already pulled up the Navigator and I helped Bella into the back of the truck, immediately putting down both windows around us.

It only took a few minutes to get into town and find a place to park along the main street. Like I'd suspected, the weather had deterred most people from window shopping or hanging around outside. Only a few moved along the street between shops and cars.

"This way." I sang, happily pulling Bella away from the main strip in town and towards the end of the road where the sidewalks turned to simple paved paths on the ground. When we finally reached the little shop in the woods there was only two other people outside. A little boy and a man I suspected was his father were sitting on the tailgate of a pick up truck enjoying a cone each. It looked like they'd just returned from fishing somewhere.

"Well good afternoon! It's sure nice of you folks to come out here, even with it not being the nicest of days." Said the older gentleman manning the shop. He had a friendly smile and eagerly ushered us all inside. "What can I getcha today?"

"We're here for your famous ice cream." Carlisle said, happily engaging the man in conversation with Esme, while I led Bella over to the glass case showing the flavors. She'd only had vanilla before, so I figured that was a safe standby, but she could try something else if she wanted.

"What's that?" She enunciated perfectly, pointing to the tub of pink. Reading the sign, I confirmed it's flavor.

"Strawberry."

"Bree?" I nodded. "That?" She asked again, pointing to the dark brown substance.

"No, Bella. That's chocolate. You can't have chocolate." I reminded her, giggling when she scowled at the ice cream. "Look Bella! They have Peanut Butter Ice Cream!" I said, pointing to the tan tub next to vanilla.

"Nutter?" She said a little too loudly, attracting the store owner's attention. He just smiled over at us.

"Have you young ladies made your decisions?" I nodded giving him one of my most charming smiles as he moved behind the counter. "Okay, what'll it be?" He asked, taking a scoop out of it's warm water dish.

"She's going to have a scoop of the peanut butter ice cream in a dish please and I'll have the same but strawberry." I told him, figuring Bella could try both this way. After he'd gotten our selections, he turned to my parents.

"And how about for your folks?"

"We'll share a dish of vanilla. Two scoops please. Thank you." Carlisle said, while taking out his wallet to pay.

"Coming right up." The older man said, whistling as he put two generous scoops into a third bowl. "That'll be six dollars even." He said, pushing the bowls out to us and handing Esme four spoons. During the whole time, Bella had watched our interactions silently, while remaining glued to my side. Thankfully, she didn't look fearful at all, only curious, and a little anxious once she saw her bowl up on the counter.

"Liss…mine." She whispered to me, pointing at the bowl with her ice cream.

"Mhmm, that's yours." I confirmed, squeezing her side affectionately, before taking our two bowls and leading her outside. The truck had left while we were still inside, leaving the picnic area empty. I took a table just out of sight from the front windows of the store and put the bowls down. Bella shuffled onto the bench next to me, reaching for her ice cream, but was stopped by the arrival of Esme and Carlisle.

"Uh uh Bella. Spoon." Esme said, smiling and handing me two plastic spoons.

"Here sweetie." I said, scooping some of the ice cream onto the spoon and handing it to her. She immediately flipped it up to put in her mouth like she does regular peanut butter and a melty clump of it slid down her wrist and onto her thigh. "Oh Bella." I sighed, wiping off her leg. I was preparing to clean my hand off on a napkin, but before I could, Bella grabbed my wrist, pulling the creamy finger into her mouth and sucking on it vivaciously.

Esme gasped at the display, while Carlisle looked torn between laughing and looking embarrassed.

"It's okay, Esme. I don't mind." I said, looking at my girl through half-lidded eyes. Taking my cold fingers back from her warm mouth, I used two to scoop up some more of her ice cream and brought it to her lips, our eyes never breaking eye contact. "Open wide." I teased. Bella's mouth eagerly enclosed my fingers again. It wasn't until we'd finished her bowl and started on mine that I realized Carlisle and Esme had left. I heard them speaking animatedly with the man inside the shop, most likely acting as a distraction so he wouldn't come outside.

"Did you like them." I asked Bella, my voice slightly raspy with arousal when she'd finished the bowl of strawberry. She nodded, slowly licking her lips of any remnants left from the sweet treat. I couldn't resist the temptation of her tongue and immediately attacked her mouth. We only parted when there was a clearing of the throat, announcing Carlisle and Esme.

"Here you go dear. I suppose we'll need some more practice with silverware." Esme said, smiling at Bella as she handed me a wet-nap packet to clean my hands on . "Shall we try a store? There's a new antique shop that I've been wanting to look at not far from where we parked." I looked to Bella noting that she seemed fairly content and decided it would be worth trying.

It was a short walk to the shop and Esme and Carlisle entered first while I held Bella back.

"Bella if you get sad or want to go, just tell me okay? Just say go and we will. Remember, no cat." I reminded her gently and waiting for her nod before leading her inside. Her eyes widened taking in the chaos of the store. There were things everywhere, without any organization, it seemed. There was an old juke box beside an easy chair and table holding a furry lamp. Across from those monstrosities sat a small porcelain doll collection, some with scratched or worn faces.

"What's that, Liss?" Bella asked, putting her hand against the juke box where it's neon lights had attracted her attention. Before I could answer her, a middle aged woman came around the corner smiling.

"That, my dear, is a 1015 Wurlitzer. It was built in 1948 and sat in a diner from the 1950s through the mid-seventies. It's in great condition considering how much use it got." She explained to Bella who stared at her blankly before turning to me.

"Music, honey. It's a music box." I told her quietly.

"Moosic? Liss, no moosic." She asked quietly, obviously noting that it wasn't playing any sounds. At her pronouncement and careful inspection of the neon border, the sales woman looked taken aback before something akin to realization dawned on her face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that she had a disability." She told me, suddenly acting as if Bella wasn't present at all. "A friend of mine's nephew has retardation."

"Bella is not retarded!" I shouted angrily, pulling my girl away from the woman, while glaring at her. I could hear Esme and Carlisle take our place, as I marched Bella down the aisle of junk.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend…" The lady sputtered.

"It's okay. Alice is a little overly sensitive about Bella. She really doesn't care for the word retarded." Carlisle stated, trying to calm the unnerved lady.

I was fuming when my parents caught up with us a few minutes later. Before I could speak, Carlisle was quick to explain himself.

"I know you don't like it, but the truth is, it's easier to explain that Bella has a developmental disability than that she's been living in the woods like an animal most of her life. Please, just try to look at this practically." My father pleaded. A glance at my mother told me she wasn't exactly fond of this solution either, but had resigned herself to it.

"Fine. Whatever." I grumbled, noting that Bella was tugging on my hand. I turned to see her looking at a small porcelain figurine of a lion.

"That's Bella!" She exclaimed, picking it up and turning to show me. I smiled, taking the offered item.

"Oh, it's so pretty Bella. Shall we get it?" Esme cooed, looking at the piece over my shoulder. The figurine was very beautiful. Pure white and detailed exquisitely. Bella nodded and I handed it to Esme to purchase. Once she'd paid, she met us back at the door of the store and handed the cat to Bella, who immediately turned to me.

"For Liss." She said softly, pushing the figurine into my hands.

"You got this for me, Bella?" I asked, smiling widely at her adorable blush. Her cheeks were just a faint pink, but she looked so bashful, I couldn't help leaning in to give her a kiss. "Thank you baby. I love it." I told her, clutching her gift to my chest. She beamed at me and led us back outside where Carlisle and Esme were waiting in the car. Esme looked like she wanted to cry and Carlisle was watching us happily. "Ready to go home, Bella?" I asked as we climbed into the back of the truck. An answering yawn was her response and I happily let her rest her head on my lap for the short journey back to the house.


	11. MINE!

**IF SEEING AN UPDATE ON THIS STORY HAS SENT YOU INTO SHOCK, PLEASE DIAL 9-1-1. **

**A/N So there's been some confusion/concern about Esme and Carlisle, mostly Esme. Yes, she can be annoying. I'm making Esme and Carlisle more parental in my story. They are the coven leaders, but more so they are the parents because the cullen "children" allow them to be so. Going on this thought, I based Esme on most mothers I know (hopefully this won't offend anyone). In my experience, Mothers are generally very loving, nurturing and compassionate, but they are nearly equal parts overbearing, disciplinary, and nag a lot. So yes, Esme will have moments where she's super sweet and caring and other moments you want to roll your eyes or count to ten. Sorry. People have also asked about Edward. Well…you'll just have to wait and see what happens. However, I'm going on the assumption that you act how you're treated. Esme has always treated Edward like a child, therefore he continues to act like one most of the time. It's like when you go home and have your mom cooking and doing your laundry, you revert back to childhood a bit and lose some of the mature self-reliance you have away from home. That's enough of my jabbering. Read on…**

Chapter 11

APOV

I was laying on my back, with Bella snuggled around me, enjoying her regular afternoon nap. The house was silent around us. Edward had been moody the past few days, ever since we'd gone for ice cream without him. He'd locked himself in his room, blasting music most of the time, which was incredibly irritating. The only time he'd turned it down was while Bella was sleeping, but that was only after I pounded on his door. This was the first day he'd come out of his room and Carlisle took him for a hunt, leaving just Bella, Esme, and I at home.

Bella whimpered in her sleep, kicking out and I moved myself out of the way, readjusting our position. She quickly settled back down and I placed a kiss to the top of her head, smiling as she sighed contently. Letting my eyes take in the new view, I grinned at the porcelain figurine sitting reverently on my nightstand. My mind was wandering back to last week when Bella had presented me with the gift, but the reminiscing was cut short when I heard the telephone ring down stairs.

"Cullen residence." I heard Esme answer after the first ring. The person on the other end must have been speaking softer than normal, since I could hardly hear them. My interest peaked, I listened intently. "Oh hello Rose. Are you still in Madrid? …. We're all fine here….Of course Bella's still with us. You know how important she is to Alice. She's making a lot of improvement with her speech…._Rosalie Lillian Hale_! That is uncalled for." My eyes narrowed at Esme's scolding tone. It didn't sound like Rosalie's attitude had improved over her vacation. Rose's muffled voice rose just slightly, and I could hear her speaking rapidly to our mother. "You need to give her a chance. She's very sweet….I'm not expecting you to, but I would like you to remain civil at the very least….alright….okay, that's fine dear. We'll see you soon then. Give Emmett my love. Bye."

The house returned to its former silence, but my mind started going into overdrive. Esme had said my siblings would be home soon. Rose would be home soon. I had to prepare Bella. I also needed to figure out a way to approach Rosalie and figure out why she's been so hostile. There must be something going on deeper than her simply not liking shape shifters or were creatures.

Twenty-minutes later, I felt Bella stir.

"Hi sleepyhead." I said softly kissing her cheek after she'd stretched out.

"Food?" She asked, and I rolled my eyes.

"I don't even get a hello? After I acted as your pillow for the last forty minutes?" I said, pouting at my feline girl. Bella scrunched her nose looking at me in confusion.

"Pleeese." She tried again and I laughed, pulling her in for a quick hug before jumping up and dragging her out of bed.

"Clothes first." I told her, as she shuffled to the chair that held her tank top and shorts from earlier. Once dressed, I happily skipped downstairs pulling Bella behind me. Esme was already in the kitchen putting together a meal for Bella.

"So when are they coming back? And why was Rose talking so softly?" I questioned immediately while Bella found her seat at the island.

"She was on a train with Emmett and most of the humans were sleeping. She was just being courteous." Esme answered without turning away from the stove. "They'll be back tomorrow evening."

"Not much notice." I mumbled thinking about how I could prepare Bella. Esme around, spatula still in hand.

"They don't need to give notice to come home. This is their house as much as anyone else's. You need to remember that." She said sternly, before turning back to plate the meat she'd made for Bella, with some blueberries on the side.

"Here we go. Now, do you remember how to ask for this?" Esme inquired, turning her attention to Bella, who was staring hungrily at the plate just out of reach.

"Ken Bella Food?" She tried, furrowing her brow as her eyes bore into the plate harder.

"Bella. Look here." Esme urged, waiting until she finally gained Bella's attention. "Listen to me. "Can I have some food?" My mother said slowly.

"Ken I have food?" Bella echoed as best she could. Esme smiled, sweeping around the island to put the plate in front of Bella and give her a kiss to the side of the head.

"You're doing wonderfully Bella. I'm so proud of you." She said before sweeping out of the room.

Bella looked up at me surprised. "Kiss? S'may kiss?"

"Yup. Kisses are good for family, Bella."

"Kiss for famlee." She checked, and I nodded. "No Liss Kiss."

"Right, it's not a Liss kiss." I agreed, emphasizing the "t" in not.

"Only Liss." She said, smiling and I grinned, leaning in to kiss her briefly.

"That's right. You're mine." I murmured against her lips before pulling back and letting her eat. While she was finishing, Carlisle and Edward returned.

"Hi Bella." Edward said oddly cheery, given his recent attitude. My brother moved to sit beside Bella at the counter, while Carlisle gave his greeting on the way into the living room.

"Hi Dee." Bella replied once she'd finished the last of her berries. I took her plate to the sink, washing it quickly.

"So Bella, I found one of my old cds and I thought you'd like it. You know, music?" He said, giving her a boyish grin.

"I think she's heard plenty of your music that last few days, Eddie." I responded, smirking when he scowled at me. Ignoring me, Edward turned back to Bella.

"What do you say Bella? Want to come to my room and listen to music?" He asked again, grinning widely. Before Bella could answer I decided to field this one myself.

"Why don't you bring the cd down here to the living room. Bella will feel more comfortable there."

"Bella will or you will?" Edward muttered under his breath before darting upstairs. He wouldn't challenge me directly. I sighed. Now I had two siblings to worry about. One who hated Bella, and the other who obviously liked her a little too much. Dealing with both would be tricky. Edward rarely had crushes on girls, so when he did, he tended to go a little overboard. It was difficult for me to keep my own emotions in check with him trying to move in on my mate, but I didn't want to cause a rift to grow between Edward and I either. He was my baby brother, after all. Rose…well she'd need a direct approach. I planned to confront her when she got home.

Edward was already putting the disc into the stereo system when I led Bella by the hand to our usual couch.

I couldn't help smirking at my brother when five minutes into listening, Bella turned to me, requesting we go outside. Her social etiquette wasn't exactly up to par yet. Edward frowned, looking distinctly put out, but quickly offered to come with us. Before I could respond in the negative, Esme did it for me.

"Edward let the girls alone for a while." She said casually moving towards the table holding her purse.

"But they're alone all the time!" Edward whined, receiving a raised eyebrow from our mother.

"Regardless, I want you to come with your father and I to the furniture store. We're picking up the replacement coffee table and I thought we could get new lamps for your room, since you apparently decided the old ones needed to be destroyed." She stated sternly, daring any more back-talk. The lamps had been casualty of my younger brother's fit on the day of our ice cream outing. I quickly wiped the smug smile off my face when Esme turned to me next. "We'll be back in a couple hours, but I hope you can find a little time to work with Bella on her numbers. I left a workbook on the counter if you need it." I nodded, already thinking of ways I could make the lessons fun for both of us. "Carlisle!" Esme raised her voice just slightly, calling up the stairs.

"Coming Dear!" My father immediately responded, appearing downstairs a moment later. No one would ever question who actually ran the household. Carlisle may be the coven leader, but Esme had him whipped even more than Rose had Emmett.

As soon as they left, I followed through on my promise, leading Bella out into the backyard. I didn't bother grabbing the workbook, since I had other plans in mind. Bella immediately ran off in to the woods, but returned a couple minutes later, her shorts somewhat askew. She sat down in the grass, falling backwards and looking up into the canopy of trees. She was in perfect position for my idea.

"Bella." I sang happily, moving to straddle her waist as I knelt over her. Her eyes immediately caught mine and she smiled, making to sit up until my hand pushed her firmly back to the grass.

"Liss?" She questioned, smile unwavering.

"We're going to learn more numbers Bella!" I said excitedly, hoping my tone would disguise the actual words, but she wasn't buying it.

"Noooo." She whined, trying to dislodge me and roll onto her stomach, but I leaned over her, pushing her shoulders flat again.

"Come on Bella. I promise it'll be fun!" I told her. "You're going to count kisses." Her eyes immediately snapped to mine.

"Liss Kiss?"

"Mhmm, sometimes." I said, picking up her hand and bringing it to my lips with a loud smack. "One." I started her off, before placing another kiss on the inside of her wrist. "If you get to ten, I'll give you a Liss kiss." I promised, grinning down at my beautiful girl.

"Ten" Bella said grinning and I laughed out loud.

"Nice try." I told the now pouting woman. "You have to work your way up, silly girl. Now what comes after one." I asked, placing a kiss to her wrist again.

"Two." She said. I knew she had one through five pretty much down. It was after that point that she got some mixed up. She actually caught onto things pretty quickly, but it was only her first day working up to ten.

"Good." I praised, bending down to place another kiss to her inner elbow, teasing the ticklish spot just slightly with the tip of my tongue.

"Three." Bella gasped, and I looked up, winking at her. After a couple more to her bicep and shoulder, I started getting a little more adventurous, moving across her collarbone.

"Six." She said softly, her breathing starting to labor a bit, as her heart pounded rapidly under my lips.

Pulling her tank top down just a little, I placed another to the top of her breast.

"Ten." She gasped again and I smirked against her skin.

"Silly Bella. Ten doesn't come after six. I guess we'll have to start over." I said, sliding back down to grab her hand. I grinned as a little growl crept passed Bella's lips.

It was only after two more tries that Bella's desperate plea of 'ten' actually resulted in her goal of a kiss to the mouth, and what a kiss it was! The build up had been too much for Bella and she fiercely attacked my mouth once it was presented to her.

"Mmm, Bella….Honey…._easy_ baby." I said, between kisses, trying to force some space between us. As much as I wanted to let her ravish me, I knew we didn't have time. My parents and Edward would be returning shortly. She had already ripped the front of my shirt open before I was able to successfully tear myself away from her. "Bella!" I scolded her half-heartedly. "I said a liss kiss, not a liss fu…" I stopped myself when I heard the car turning into our drive. Pulling the still lust-driven girl behind me, I sprinted upstairs to change my shirt. When I came back out of my closet, it seemed as if Bella had reined herself in and I breathed a sigh of relief. I took her hand again and we met Esme at the front door while Carlisle and Edward brought in the already assembled coffee table.

"Hello girls. What do you think? Esme asked gesturing to the table.

"It's nice." I said, assuming she wasn't really expecting Bella to answer. Said girl's attention had long since left the current situation as she watched the trees swaying outside.

"Did you get a chance to review numbers? Bella?" My mother asked, pulling Bella's gaze back to her. "Will you tell me your numbers?" Obediently, but with much less enthusiasm than earlier, Bella recited numbers one through ten to Esme, who beamed.

"Good girl." I whispered, offering her a kiss on the cheek, while, in a flash, Esme grabbed a spoon of peanut butter for Bella's reward.

The day passed without anything remarkable happening. After dinner, Bella changed into cat form and we took a run around the forest. By the time we returned, Bella was practically sleep walking up to our room for bed. I spent the night curled around her as usual, adjusting my body only when her squirming made it necessary.

Most of the next day was spent preparing Bella for Rose and Emmett's return, which was not exactly a hardship for me, as I cuddled with Bella in front of home movies and picture albums. It was around six that I sent a text to Rose saying I needed to talk to her when she got here. I wanted to get it out of the way, preferably before she interacted with Bella again. My girl made it no secret that she remembered exactly who Rose was and that she didn't like her.

Just after seven, Emmett came through the front door laden with suitcases, probably only one of which was his. Bella's head whipped around so fast, I thought she might have broken it, and she hissed loudly, but thankfully didn't change form. Once she saw it was Emmett, she relaxed a bit, but still kept a careful eye on him.

"Well hello to you too, Bella. Nice to see you out of your furs." My brother smiled goofily before turning to me. "Rose is waiting outside in the car." He said before darting upstairs. I turned to Bella, taking her hand in mine.

"Sweetie, I'm going to go talk to Rose. Okay?"

"Ken I go?" She asked softly, looking anxious.

"No honey, you stay here with Carlisle and Esme…and Edward. I'll put in a movie." I told her, trying to ignore her pout. "I'll be right back, baby." I whispered to her, kissing her cheek. Jumping up from the couch, I threw in the Nemo disc and headed out the door, not looking at Bella, knowing she'd be staring after me sadly.

Rose was looking off to the side in the driver's seat when I came out, and I hurried to get in the car. Without a word, she snapped her head forward and tore back down the driveway. Clearly neither of us wanted this conversation to be overheard. Once we were a safe distance away, she glanced over at me.

"What's this about?" I huffed at her question.

"I think you know."

"The cat."

"Her name is Bella, Rose." This time it was Rose's turn to huff.

"Whatever."

"Rosalie! She's my mate! Why are you being like this?!" I snapped, far passed the end of my rope.

"Being like what?" She hedged and I wanted to strangle her.

"Why do you hate Bella?! She's never done anything to you!"

"Oh! I suppose attacking my husband doesn't count."

"Please! He was fine and you know it. That's not why you hate her."

"I don't hate her. I just don't trust her…and maybe I dislike her a lot." Rose tried to lighten the mood, but I wasn't having it.

"Rose, stop! Just tell me!" I screamed.

With no warning Rose jerked the car to the side of the road, sending us to a screeching halt, before turning to me angrily.

"FINE! You want to know why?" She snarled, and I nodded dumbly, a bit startled at the sudden turn of events. "Because she'll hurt you!"

"What?"

"She doesn't love you Alice. She can't. She's doesn't know how. And I see how you look at her…You love her. She'll never be able to love you back. That's why I hate her. She's setting you up to be crushed. She's just like him." I cocked my head to the side in confusion at her mumbled finish. Him?

"What are you talking about? Him who? And Bella does love me Rose. She may not express it in words, but I know she does." Rose snorted, looking away from me and out the window.

"You can try and convince yourself of that, but it's not true."

Ignoring her dismissal of Bella's feelings, I diverted her back to the mysterious "him" she compared her to.

"Rose." I started in a quieter voice, waiting until she turned back to me. "Who are you talking about? Bella reminds you of someone?" I pushed. Her hands gripped tightly to the steering wheel as if to anchor her and she nodded.

"Royce." She barely whispered his name and I leaned back in shock. What did Bella have to do with that monster?

"Your ex-fiancee? I clarified. We all knew the story of how he'd raped her the night before their wedding in an alley, with a bunch of his friends. "What's he have to do with Bella?"

Taking a moment, Rose gathered herself and seemed to commit to something. Her face was a mask of indifference when she looked back up at me.

"There are some things I haven't told anyone about my past…about Royce. Not even Emmett." She started quietly, and I leaned in closer. Taking an unnecessary deep breath, Rose stared into my eyes. "Royce was a shifter. A panther." She stated.

"What?!" I gasped. She nodded.

"I found out only a week after he began courting me. I saw him shift in the woods." She paused to let me digest this fact, which was good because it completely blindsided me. "But I loved him despite it." She continued, causing me to snap my eyes to hers. She's never said she loved him before. I'd always assumed she was just going to marry him for convention's sake.

"You loved him?" I asked quietly. Rose laughed humorlessly, looking up at the ceiling.

"God! I was such a fool. I loved him with everything in my poor stupid adolescent heart…And I thought he loved me." She said staring at me.

"Rose…"

"They can't love Alice! They're beasts, nothing more." She said loudly. She gave another derisive laugh. "He told me the animal inside of him recognized me as his mate. He said he would be in pain until we consummated our love." Rose growled the last. I didn't know what to say, but Rose wasn't done anyway, obviously needing to get it off her chest. "I couldn't bear the thought of him hurting, so I gave myself to him. He…It wasn't gentle Alice. He claimed the beast needed to dominate me. I let him. I gave him everything he wanted. I was so blinded by a stupid little girl's crush." She paused again, taking a few settling breaths. "That night, in all honesty, it wasn't all that different from the other times he'd taken me, except his pack was there. He let them…" She looked away furious with herself. "I knew he didn't love me then. I wasn't his mate. He'd told me himself: Mates don't share."

"Rose. I…" I wanted to comfort her somehow, but what could I say? It explained why she'd always been particularly hostile to the shifters on La Push. But Bella wasn't a shifter. "Rose, Bella's not a shifter." I blurted out, and for a second, Rose seemed surprised, but then she waved it away.

"She's still a beast, maybe even more so. And beasts don't love." She said. I could understand her feelings, but that didn't mean I agreed with her.

"He's a bastard Rose. He's always been a bastard in my eyes, and knowing what I do now doesn't change that fact. But Bella isn't him. She's…"

"…Using you." Rose interrupted. "She used you for protection and maybe comfort, but that's it. You look at her like she's the sun, but she never once returned it. I never saw love there Alice. Truthfully, I don't think she's capable." My anger flared.

"She's more than capable, Rose! And she does love me! You haven't even seen her out of cat form!"

"Did she tell you she loves you?" Rose asked, smirking, thinking she's got me since Bella couldn't speak.

"Yes! Actually she does." I snapped, causing Rose's eyebrow to lift questioningly. "She tells me with her eyes and her kisses." Rose rolled her eyes. "I don't care if you don't see it. I do!"

"Alice…" Rose started, looking at me pityingly.

"No! Listen. I'm sorry about Royce, and what he did to you. But Bella's not like him. You can't just categorize everyone who changes into an animal as a rapist and sociopath! Carlisle said that the Alpha of the La Push pack is mated. Clearly he's capable of love!"

"I heard he slashed her face. Doesn't sound like love to me." She muttered and I growled.

"Look Rose, just give Bella a chance. She's sweet and I love her. If for no other reason, do it because you're my sister. Please!"

"I am trying to protect you because you're my sister." She countered and I leveled her with a glare.

"Rose." I said simply and she finally sighed.

"Fine." I squealed, launching myself to hug her. "But I still don't trust her." She told me as I pulled back.

"You know what Rose? That's fine. As long as you are open to her gaining your trust. I know you'll learn to love her." I beamed, not allowing her caveat to bring me down. No one could hate Bella once they got to know her. She was far too adorable.

Rose started the car again and on the way back I told her everything that had happed while she was gone, especially about Bella. Actually, it was all about Bella.

We heard the commotion just as we turned into the driveway.

"NOOOOOO! NO! NO! NO!..." Bella's screams reached my ears and I jumped from the car, racing into the house. The sight was complete chaos. Bella was clutching her knees rocking slightly while Esme tried to soothe her. In the background I saw Carlisle talking to a wide-eyed Edward rather sternly, and my eyes narrowed.

"What did you do to her?!" I screeched, bumping my mother out of the way so I could kneel beside Bella.

"Lisssss." She cried into my shirt, clutching it with her fists as I pulled her head into my chest, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Bella. Bella. Shhhh, baby, it's okay. I'm here. I've got you. Shhhh." I soothed, as she continued to bury her head against my chest, mumbling incoherently.

"What happened?" I asked again, staring down my brother and father for an explanation. When neither of them answered quickly enough I turned to the sobbing girl in my chest. "Bella, honey. Tell me what happened." She swallowed a lump in her throat, looking up at me with heartbreaking red eyes, puffy from crying. I wiped away her tears with my thumbs, giving her a small smile. "Baby, tell me." I cooed, running my fingers comfortingly through her hair.

"Eddie…movie…Bella…" She paused and I nodded my understanding. She was watching the movie with Edward, okay. "Eddie Liss kiss." My eyes bulged, and I turned a fiery glare on my younger brother, but my attention was called back when Bella began sobbing again, all I understood was Liss kiss and no. In situations like this, Bella's progress went right out the window. She was too stressed to process her thoughts coherently. It didn't matter, though. I got the gist of it.

"You _kissed_ her!" I hissed. _Oh it's on! Forget keeping our relationship intact_.

"I..I don't understand. I asked her…she said yes!" The fourteen year old defended himself, practically hiding behind our parents.

"Alice I think there was a misunderstanding. Now, I know he shouldn't have…"

"Hold on." I said, the pieces finally coming together. "You asked if you could kiss her?" Edward nodded. That alone rose my ire, but I'd deal with that HUGE mistake later.

"She said yes…"

"BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT YOU MEANT ON THE CHEEK OR HAND OR SOMETHING, NOT ON THE FUCKING LIPS YOU IDIOT!"

"What?"

"Alice!"

My parents exclamations were ignored as I took a deep breath. Don't kill him. Don't kill him. Don't kill him. I kept repeating the words in my head, trying to settle the beast.

"A kiss to her means like a family kiss."

"Then what does she call a romantic kiss?" Esme inquired curiously.

I couldn't help smirking at my brother as I revealed, "Liss kiss. Only for Liss."

"Alice, you taught her that she could only kiss you on the lips!" Well when she says it like that it almost sounds like I did something wrong.

"Liss kiss Eddie. Bad Bella. Bad." I heard Bella's murmured words and realized why she had reacted so strongly. She thought I'd be mad at her for Liss kissing someone else!

"No, no Bella. You're not bad. It's okay. It was Edward's fault." I soothed, pulling her back to kiss her forehead affectionately.

"Hey! It's not my fault you taught her wrong!" Edward cried indignantly and I hissed at him.

"You shouldn't have even asked her! She's mine!" I growled, suddenly finding everyone too close to my mate, my possessive instincts finally overpowered my logical mind. Scooping her up in my arms I tore up the stairs, running into my room and locking it behind me. I laid Bella on the bed and settled down next to her so we were facing each other. Her eyes were still teary, but she seemed to be calming down.

"Liss, mad?" She asked quietly.

"No, Bella. I'm not mad." She still looked forlorn and unsure, so I reached out caressing her cheek. "Come here, Let Liss make it better." Scooting forward, I pressed my mouth to her pouty lips, kissing them gently. Bella's response was slow, but soon she was returning my affections in earnest. After several minutes, Bella's passion began to rise, her traumatic event seemingly forgotten, as amorous activities loomed on the horizon. The world seemed to blur as our clothes rapidly disappeared without my knowledge of who did the shredding. Bella shifted eventually, trying to move behind me, but I pushed her back down onto the mattress, straddling her hips with a smirk. "Not this time, Baby. I'm going to show you something new." I purred seductively, slipping my body down against hers as I laid kisses down her chest. Pausing briefly at her delectable breasts, I sucked a nipple into my mouth, reveling in the rumble I felt growing in her chest. "You like that Bella?" I asked sweetly before leaving my hands over her breasts and bringing my lips lower. A little grunt in the affirmative made me smile against her toned stomach. Looking up at her, I caught her eyes. "Liss is going to make it all better, Bella. I'm going to make you feel soooo goooood." I moaned like I do to describe peanut butter. Her green eyes scorched my own as her mouth opened a little. She was panting.

"Na-Nutter?" She whispered. I shook my head grinning up at her and let my tongue slowly lick through her moistened folds. Bella gasped at my actions and I couldn't resist teasing her.

"Mmm, Bella-nutter." I moaned, diving back in for more. Bella's sounds of pleasure would leave no doubt as to who her mate was. She was going to cry out for me, for everyone to hear.

"Liss! What DOING?!" She gasped, as I continued satisfying my hunger with her essence. She began trying to wiggle her hips away from my mouth, but I held them firmly in place. "No, Liss. No…BAD! What Liss doing?" Bella said louder now, trying to push my head away, and I finally stopped, my brain clearing enough to recognize the fear and confusion on Bella's face. Shit.

"Oh Bella. I'm sorry." I whispered ashamedly, moving back up to lay beside her, pushing some stray hairs away from her shocked face. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I know it's new, but it's okay." Bella looked at me in disbelief and possibly a little disgust before covering her lower region with both hands.

"I not food, Liss." She told me seriously, and it took everything I had not to laugh, knowing she wouldn't appreciate it. Leaning in I kissed her deeply, enjoying the rumbling growl it caused in her chest.

"Do you trust me Bella? You know I'd never hurt you?" I said, looking straight into her emerald eyes. She didn't respond, but her eyes said more than words could. "Just let me show you this. I promise, if it doesn't feel good, I'll stop okay? Just say no, and I will stop. Yes?" Bella nodded once, watching me cautiously, as I smiled and dipped my head towards her hard peaks. Taking a nipple into my mouth, I sucked on it hard, keeping my eyes and ears open for any signs of discomfort. A low purr encouraged me to continue, and ever so slowly I danced my fingers down across her stomach, drawing small designs over her hips. Moving my lips up to her collarbone, I peppered kisses across her chest and up her neck, as my hand wandered between her legs, rubbing and squeezing her inner thighs.

"Okay, Bella?" I asked softly, pausing in my exploration of her neck.

"Yessss." She growled, her voice taking on the raspy animal quality she'd had when first speaking. Smiling, I went back to work, carefully teasing her hot folds before pulling back to her thighs, giving her a short preview to gauge her reaction. When I continued to get no protests, I finally let my hand linger, fingers slowly stroking up and down through the wetness gathered there. A moan erupted from Bella's lips, that faded into a deep growl and her hand grasped at my hair.

"Feel good, baby?" I murmured, nibbling her ear lobe. She gasped as my hand began circling her clit. Rather than answer, she just grunted, pulling me tighter against her and burying her face in my neck. I allowed a finger to just barely enter her, testing the waters again. Her legs jerked, so I did it again. "You like that, don't you?" I said lowly biting playfully at her shoulder.

"Lisssss." She whined, her back arching up off the bed as her hips began to move more with my hand. Gently, I continued to make small thrusts into her with my finger, while still attending to her clit. I could feel when she began to pulse and I knew she was very close.

"Come on baby. It's okay. Just let go for me. It's okay Bella." I said again, pulling back to lay kisses on her glistening face and flushed chest. Her walls gripped my single finger tightly as she keened, finally settling into a series of snarls and grunts. "That's my good girl." I said, helping her through. With one last grunt, Bella's raised hips collapsed back onto the bed and she looked at me with fire in her eyes.

With speed I hadn't seen before, she flipped me onto my stomach, mounting me from behind. This time, any kind of gentleness was lost. Bella pulled my hips up while pushing my head down into the mattress and holding me there. Once again I marveled at her strength, that she seemed to only use on these occasions.

"Ah, Fuck!" I screamed into the comforter where my face was smushed. Bella had slammed so hard against my backside, my whole body lunged forward towards the headboard. "Bella!" I yelled, trying to regain some control of the situation, but she was having none of it. Her hand that had lifted my hips into a raised position now moved to assist in slamming me backwards to meet her sharp thrusts.

The force of her movements coupled with the completely bestial sounds she was making turned me on more than I'd ever admit.

"Oh God!" I wailed, giving up any attempt to curb her rough treatment.

"Mine." She snarled loudly, punctuating the word with an extra hard thrust. I nearly came from the pronouncement.

"Yes! Yes, Bella! Yours!" I agreed eagerly. With a mind of its own, my hand reached back to pull Bella's around my waist and between my legs. She grunted, falling down against my back, but never resisting my actions. Guiding her hand with my own I helped her find my clit, and began making circles. But soon my legs gave out and we both fell down into the mattress, Bella's fast humping never ceasing. Now however, with each thrust, she pressed my hips, and consequently, my clit down into her hand caught between me and the mattress.

Bella's fingers clawed at my back, occasionally tangling to pull at my hair. I was beginning to recognize her mating sounds and knew she was close to coming again, I wasn't far away myself. After slamming her hips against me a few more times Bella cried out again, sending me over as well. It was only after the lustful fog in my brain began to clear that I realized, Bella's jaw was clamped tightly over my shoulder, her teeth having penetrated my marble skin. Despite this, I felt no pain. In fact, I could feel a warmth spreading through me from the spot. After another minute, Bella finally unclamped her teeth pulling back and licking at the wound and my neck, purring loudly. It hit me then what had just happened. I was marked. Bella had marked me. She knew I was her mate!

Turning over I beamed at the lazily grinning girl with lidded eyes. Holding her face in my hands I brought her to my lips for a lingering kiss. Her purr never ceased as we continued to kiss and nuzzle each other, caught up in our own world.


End file.
